Growing Pains
by BlackArtWhiteVoice
Summary: When Zelda learned that she had a half sister who lived in Romania, she never thought that going for a visit to hopefully get to know her new found family would flip her world upside down. Amidst the new joys and heartaches, old and new threats lurk in the shadows as she faces past traumas and new loves. (Maximus x OC)
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! After rereading Vlad's series I got the idea to write a Maximus and OC story. Don't like OCs? Don't read, my oneshot drabbles will more than sustain you. Anyway, let me know what you think so far.

Staring up at the giant castle made me feel like an ant under a magnifying glass. The imposing stone structure seemed to loom over me in its dark and ancient splendor. If someone had told me a month ago that I would be here, outside of a castle that looked straight out of a fairy tale, in Romania of all places, I would have told them they were confusing me with someone else. And yet here I was.

I never expected my wish to meet my newly discovered half sister would bring me so far away from home. Dimly, I wondered if we were at the right place. The blond man who had picked me up from the airport stood to my right, not rushing me as I took in the building in front of us.

"Are you sure this is the place? This seems like something out of a story book." It slipped out before I could think better of it, but thankfully the man just chuckled.

"Yes, this is definitely our destination. I've lived here for so long that its grandeur doesn't faze me anymore. If you're finished collecting yourself, your sister and her husband are waiting for you inside." His voice was low with what I now knew was a Romanian accent, the sound of it smoothing out my frazzled nerves.

"Yes, I'm ready. I don't want to keep them waiting on me." Even as I said it, my stomach tossed anxiously. I hope she liked me…

Forcing a calming breath, I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans before directing my wheelchair to follow my guide as we entered the towering entrance doors. A part of me was surprised they had a ramp for me to use, this castle looked like it was taken straight from the middle ages. Some of my surprise must have shown on my face, because my guide spoke up, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"The ramps were put in after the voivode and his wife were informed of your coming. There is a room already made up for you. Everything in it has been made accessible to you, so you don't have to worry about that."

My shock only increased as he informed me of just how far my sister's husband had gone to make me comfortable in my stay. To not only install ramps, but to also outfit a room specifically so I could use it comfortably while I was visiting was probably the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me…ever.

The man waited a second for me to speak, before continuing on. "I know this must all be overwhelming for you, but try to relax. If you have a problem or need help with something, don't hesitate to call out. There are many staff members on every floor so someone is bound to hear you."

My head span faintly as I processed his words as his reassurance mildly smoothed over my tremulous nerves. Everything was happening so fast, it was only a moment before we stopped outside of a set of ornate doors. My breakfast sat like a rock in my stomach as my guide, whose name I still had yet to be told, announced our presence. A deep voice rumbled a reply in a language I was assuming was Romanian. Before my next blink, the man shot me a calming smile and pushed the doors open. Taking one last fortifying breath, I rolled forward into the room.

And that is it for the introduction. Do you like where it is going? Any suggestions, comments or concerns? I took care of my grandmother in a wheelchair until she passed and I decided I wanted to raise some awareness for the common problems that they face. The issues the main character is going to have throughout the series are ones that my own grandmother faced with me there.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Back with Chapter 2 here, not sure if anyone will actually be reading this but if nothing else I can get it out of my head. Read and Review as always.

Two figures stood by a fireplace, a dark haired male who must have been the one to speak before and a woman. There was no doubt in my mind who the woman was, even if there had been another female in the room it would be obvious. Her face shape was the same as the man, our father I mentally reminded myself, in the photo I had found in my mother's old things.

Her eyes were a striking blue that seemed to offset her dark, straight hair. From the muscles I could see on her arms and legs, she was athletic too. I jerked slightly when I realized we were both staring without saying anything, an awkward silence had filled the room in the meantime. In an attempt to cut through it, I spoke while praying my voice didn't shake too badly.

"Hi, my name is Zelda." Introductions were a good place to start right? Almost instantly she snorted, only to wince immediately afterwards.

"Sorry, I didn't mean. Well it's just your name is-" Seeing how much difficulty she was having, I decided to jump in.

"I know, my mother didn't mean to name me after a video game character, it just happened that way. I don't take offense to it anymore. What's your name? Our…father didn't tell me." I hesitated before calling him our father, unsure if she would become irritated with me for doing so. Thankfully, she showed no outward signs of aggravation. Instead, she smiled tentatively.

"My name is Leila, Leila Dracul. It doesn't surprise me that he didn't tell you much, he and I aren't on the best of terms lately." I noticed the dark haired man stroke her back in comfort, Leila throwing a reassuring smile over her shoulder to him before focusing back on me. _So this is what a healthy relationship looks like…_ I found myself glad that my sister had her husband to comfort her, I knew intimately how painful it was to be rejected by the ones who should have loved you above anyone else. I didn't wish that on anyone, but at least she had him to help her through.

A flash of longing briefly gripped me before I pushed it back, no need to think on such things. They'd only lead to painful roads. Instead, I smiled back at her. "I didn't talk to him for long, but if it makes you feel any better I don't think he liked me much either."

When I had gone to visit him with the photo, he had gone paper white. While he let me in when I went to his house, his icy tone when he answered my questions had clearly told me that he wasn't happy with my presence. It had been a major blow at the time, having another parental figure disliking me, but before I had left I had seen a picture on the mantel of Leila. If it hadn't been for my prodding, he wouldn't have told me about her at all.

Leila's smile turned hard at one side, "It doesn't make me feel better, but it also doesn't surprise me. I'm sorry that he was an ass though. You didn't deserve it anymore than I do, but let's move off this topic. I have so many questions for you and I'm sure you have some for me too."

I nodded, relieved to be done with the painful subject and on toward more pleasant ones. "I do, but why don't you start. I think I'm still a little too overwhelmed from everything to think clearly enough to pick just one question." Leila gestured to the couch behind her, which I easily wheeled to the side of. Internally, I hoped she wouldn't expect me to transfer to it. While I had gotten better at maneuvering in my chair over the past few years, I still couldn't transfer smoothly. The last thing I wanted was to make an idiot of myself so early on in our relationship.

Thankfully, she didn't bat an eyelash as she sat down across from me with her husband at her side. Before she began her questions, she turned partly to him and introduced us. "This is Vlad, he's my husband which I'm sure you already figured out." Relief strafed through me as the previous tension leaked out of the air, with introductions out of the way we were clear to, hopefully, get to know one another.

Giving him a nod, but not offering my hand, I was surprised when he didn't try to offer a handshake as most people did. Either he sensed that I didn't like touch, or he was the same way. Either way, it worked for me. His lips twitched up, but before I could ask what the cause was Leila pulled my attention back to her.

"So, what do you do?" Leila grimaced immediately after she asked it, what with the question being awkward at best. Trying to stop the tension from coming back, I answered quickly.

"I work in a bookstore near my apartment in North Carolina." She shot me a grateful smile before continuing her questions.

"Do you like it there? The bookstore and the state?" She clarified, after a second. Tilting my head in thought, I nodded after a moment.

"It's fine. I like books and I can read whenever there are no customers. As for North Carolina, I don't have any attachment to it, but I also don't have anywhere I would prefer to be. Moving is a hassle." The snow and ice during winter definitely weren't my favorite things, but that was where I grew up so to a certain extent it would always be home.

Leila nodded in understanding, "I used to work in a carnival, so moving isn't that big of a thing to me." She hesitated here, braced for what I assume was some kind of ridicule. Well, she wasn't going to get it from me.

"That sounds exciting, what did you do?" I made sure my tone held only my genuine curiosity, not wanting her to be self conscious in the slightest about her career choice. She relaxed at my question, all the remaining tension seemed to flee the room as her eyes grew misty.

"It was fun most of the time, I did an acrobatic act with my friend Marty. He passed away a few months ago." Immediately guilt slammed me, _good going Zelda, you've already brought up a painful subject. It's a wonder why you don't have friends. _Before I could apologize, she waved her hand. Vlad took it from her lap and pulled it into his own without prompting.

"It's fine. You didn't know, after all." She shifted slightly into Vlad's side before she spoke again. "Here I am asking all the questions, how rude of me. I think it's your turn to ask a few now." Knowing a request for a subject change when I heard one, I wasted no time in doing so.

"You must have visited plenty of places in your career. The farthest I usually travel is to my job. Do you like it in Romania? What kind of sights are here?" Leila's eyes immediately lit up, obviously happy to talk about her home. And so the hours passed with each of us asking questions until my yawn interrupted us.

Leila glanced at the clock before letting out a sound of surprise, "Is it that late already? I can't believe the hours flew by that quickly…" Shaking her head, she stood with Vlad in almost perfect synchronization.

"I'm sure you're exhausted after the flight, if you want we can talk more tomorrow. Have you eaten yet today? It's fine if you'd prefer to eat in your room, I understand needing some time to take everything in." Leila's smile was warm, making me feel more welcome with that one gesture than my own mother had in a years worth of visits. The memory brought a flash of remembered pain before I forcibly focused back on her. That was in the past, better to leave it there and enjoy the present.

"I ate this morning, but was too nervous to eat on the plane. I'll take you up on your offer to talk tomorrow and to eat in my room. I might fall asleep on you if we eat together and I don't want to leave a bad impression." Leila grinned, picking up on my humor and rolling with it.

"I wouldn't judge you if you did, but there's plenty of time for us to talk more tomorrow." Vlad spoke up next, turning to address me as he did.

"If you'll be retiring for the night, I'll have Maximus bring you to your room. He can have your food sent there. For the duration of your stay he will be staying close to help you make your way around our home."

Wariness immediately drowned out my former happiness, it would be nice if people would stop assuming that I'm not capable of doing anything alone just because I'm in a wheelchair. Fighting to not sound snappy, I mumbled. "I've lived alone for a few years now, I don't need a lot of help getting around."

Vlad nodded, "I'm sure under normal circumstances you don't, but my home is difficult to navigate until you have the basic layout memorized. Once you know where everything is and can go where you please without getting lost I will place Maximus back on his regular duties."

His reasoning made sense, even though the thought of having an unknown man following me sent icy fear down my spine. I never did do well with people looming over me, and that was _before _my injury…

Vlad took my silence as agreement before he continued on, "I will have Maximus sent. He should be along momentarily." So saying, he pulled out his mobile and typed off a quick message. It was only a minute before a knock sounded on the door. Either the man was nearby or he moved like greased lightning.

When the door opened, I was surprised to see the same blond who had accompanied me earlier and had tried to reassure me when my nerves had been high. Now that I wasn't anxious, I realized that he was attractive, _very_ attractive.

His hair hung to his shoulders in golden waves and framed dark grey eyes that reminded me of storm clouds before a downpour. His frame was well over six foot and he was stacked with muscle, now that I cared to notice. He looked more like a bodyguard than a babysitter, and briefly I wondered what was it he did here.

When his eyes met mine I realized that, not only had I been intently staring at his physique, he had caught me doing so. Fire flared up my cheeks, painting them fluorescent red as I debated whether to apologize for staring or pretend nothing happened.

Instead of a comment or a wink, as I expected, he spoke with an easy smile. Neither his actions or his tone reacting to my staring, much to my relief. "It's good to see you looking more relaxed now. Are you ready to go to your room?"

Relief battled with my previous wariness. I was glad he didn't mention my staring and somehow knowing it was him that was assigned to watch me made me less uncomfortable about the situation, but there was still some discomfort. I doubted that would go away until I actually got to know him, if he even wanted to get to know me. He's only known me less than a day and in that time I've been a nervous wreck and now I probably seem like a pervert, staring at him like I was.

Resolving to try my best to present myself as a mentally stable and normal woman, I agreed. "As long as you don't mind, I'd appreciate it. I'm sorry that you're stuck following me around, you'll soon find out that I'm pretty boring."

He shook his head, but didn't come closer as he refuted my statement. "It's no problem, you don't seem boring to me. I would actually like the chance to get to know you better, if you'd permit it?"

It was all I could do to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. Everyone else I talked to back home reminded me often of my blandness, and yet here stood a man who had known me less than a day and was sure I was somehow interesting.

His expectant look had me shaking off my surprise long enough to respond. "That would be nice. I don't have many friends, but there's never a bad time to make a new one."

Idly I noticed Vlad stroking his beard in thought while Leila grinned at me, but most of my attention was focused on the blond at my side. It would be nice to have a friend, the fact that he was eye candy was another bonus, but it felt like lifetimes ago when I last talked to someone outside of my work.

Now I have a sister who seems nice and a possible new friend in the form of a giant, blond Viking. Maybe I could get his phone number before I leave, if he wanted to keep in touch afterwards.

I was broken out of my thoughts by Maximus moving to stand alongside my chair. As I craned my neck back to see his face, it occurred to me just how tall he was. I had vaguely noticed before but sitting next to him now made me feel even smaller than my severely diminished height. And yet, despite his towering form I didn't feel the rush of fear I expected. If anything I would say I almost felt…safe. The previous mild wariness was still there, but my usual reaction to a male being in my personal bubble was noticeably absent.

Deciding to ponder on it later, I bid my goodnights to Leila and Vlad before turning to Maximus. Instead of reaching for my chair handles as I dreaded, he moved to the door and opened it for me. "Would you prefer me to push your chair or lead?"

Pleasant surprise flushed through me at his consideration. I wheeled past him while being careful to not roll over his feet. "I would prefer you lead, thank you for asking."

Many people over the past few years had simply grabbed my chair and started moving without asking and it was deeply unsettling every time. I was more than glad I didn't have to tell him not to.

As I followed him down multiple hallways that all looked similar, I was mentally thankful Vlad had assigned Maximus to me, because I _would_ have gotten lost in this maze. My gaze slid to my guide as my mind wandered to my odd reaction earlier. It was only when he stopped that I realized I had been staring at his rear. I snapped my eyes up to his while praying he didn't realize where they had been previously. I almost sighed when he showed no reaction other than to open the door for me.

Rolling inside, I sucked in a breath of amazement. Everything was wheelchair accessible, the table was lower with a section taken out for me to pull up to and the bed was low enough to easily transfer to it. Usually I just made do with everything being too tall for me, my modest paycheck not allowing for the specialized furniture that would make things easier, but this was the most luxurious room I had been in, ever.

I jerked when Maximus cleared his throat, whirling around to see him waiting for something. A light bulb flashed on above my head, he was waiting for my opinion. "The room is lovely and I appreciate everything Vlad did to make me feel welcome. I forgot to tell him that in the other room, can you relay it?" I hated asking him to act as a messenger boy, but with my memory I would only forget again come tomorrow.

Maximus nodded, no signs of irritation, before he shifted back to the door. "I will be staying across the hall from you, if you need anything shout or pull the rope. I'll be with you momentarily." With that, Maximus bid me goodnight and exited the room, leaving me to my own thoughts.

Today had been an emotional rollercoaster with flying over eight hours on a plane, meeting Leila and the surprising resurgence of hormones I thought dead years ago. I felt like going straight to the ridiculously comfy looking bed and passing out, but a sudden growl from my stomach reminded me of why that wasn't an option yet.

As if in response to my thoughts, a knock sounded at the door. After telling them to enter, a lady who I assumed was a member of the staff came in with a tray of food. She left just as silently as she came, only stopping to tell me to leave the cart outside of the room when I finished. The food smelled delicious and I felt my appetite return with a vengeance. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I had devoured the entirety of the plate.

With my stomach now calm, I finally turned to the bed. I marveled at how easy it was to transfer to as I locked the wheels on my chair. I still fell half the time when I switched to my bed at home, but as I sat on the edge of the bed I had barely broken a sweat. It was such a small thing to feel happy over, being able to sit without making a fool of myself.

My hands stroked the fabric, the soft comforter feeling divine against my palm. Feeling giddy, I threw my weight back and laughed when I bounced. This was the best I've felt in years, and it was all thanks to meeting my new sister. As I laid down after situating my legs under the comforter, I felt a flash of excitement for what tomorrow would hold. I would talk to my sister some more, and maybe even chat with Maximus too!

I drifted off with a smile on my face and hope in my heart. That lasted all of three hours before I bolted upright in bed, a scream jamming into my throat.

I'm evil :D


	3. Growing Pains Chapter 3

To make up for the cliffhanger I made fluff. Because who doesn't like fluff? Also, the only thing that belongs to me is Zelda. Everything else goes to Jeaniene Frost. Anyway read and review with suggestions and opinions, no flames. And to the lovely anon who reviewed this is for you. I planned to post this much later, but your review spurred me on. I will be posting another Valentines Oneshot for Dark Pharaoh as well.

The images from so many years ago swam in my head, my fear turning every shadow of the room into _him_. Forcing back my panic and taking a deep breath, I reached blindly for my chair. It took considerable effort to get back into it without throwing myself onto the floor, my panic making my fingers numb, but the minute I was situated I powered over to the light switch.

Slamming my hand down on it, I felt relief instantly wash through me as the light chased the shadows away. My hands shook as I leaned my head against the wall under the light socket. My breathing slowly evened out as my fear fled, leaving a familiar bone deep exhaustion behind. The phantom feeling of hands gripping my hips harshly didn't fade, but I knew if I kept breathing they would leave too.

Tears burned behind my eyes, the liquid feeling like a personal failure as it slid down my cheeks. I bit my lip to the point of bleeding as sobs tried to break out, nothing but my willpower held them back. I was already ugly crying, I refused to let myself completely break down over a nightmare. Besides, if I got too loud then someone might hear and come running to check on me. That's the last thing I wanted right now.

After a few more minutes I felt stable enough to lift my head, wiping the tears as I eyed the door dubiously. I would kill for some hot cocoa and cookies right about now but what was the chance I could find my way to the kitchen without getting lost?

Glancing at the clock, I immediately decided to not bother Maximus. He must be sleeping by now and I refuse to wake him just to take me to the kitchen. Was there a rule about not going anywhere without Maximus? Biting my lip, I weighed the pros and cons. If I went to the kitchen and got lost Vlad might be mad since he had assigned Maximus to me to stop that from happening, but as I glanced around the room I knew I needed to go somewhere.

The walls began to feel like they were closing in around me, making my choice for me.

Opening the door, I carefully shut it before glancing around the hallway. Maybe I could just roll up and down this stretch of hall, I wouldn't get lost but I could work off some of my nerves. While it wasn't as nice as the thought of cookies, it also didn't have the chance of getting lost.

Decision made, I turned to start moving only to jolt to a stop when a door not far from me opened and Maximus stepped out. He only wore a pair of pajama bottoms and they hung low on his hips, the trail of hair leading down immediately catching my attention.

His voice dragged my focus back up to his face, "Is something wrong? I thought I heard something coming from your room."

It was all I could do not to curse, I hadn't wanted to wake him up. A sigh pushed from my lungs before I could stop it, "I'm sorry for waking you, I had a nightmare. I was going to just stretch a bit in the hall before heading back in."

Maximus lifted a brow, disbelief painting his face before he spoke. "If you wish I could take you to the kitchen? I'm sure there is something I could make you to ease your nerves. If we don't have anything I can go out and get whatever you want."

Immediately denial sprang out of my mouth, "You don't have to go out of your way like that, I just need to move around and then I'll be good to go. You shouldn't make yourself stay awake for this, I get them all the time so I'm used to it-" I bit my tongue until it bled, I hadn't meant to tell him that much. He's going to think I'm a nut case at the rate I'm going.

Trying to switch the topic before he could pity me, I blurted out. "I didn't wake you did I? I'm sorry if I did." I sure hoped I didn't, although the sight of him in those pants was certainly noteworthy. Cursing my hormone's sudden violent revival, I beat them back enough to focus on his next words.

"No, you didn't wake me. I have insomnia so I don't get much sleep. I was awake when I heard your door opening and decided to check on you. Also, it would be no trouble for me to escort you to the kitchen. I'm not hungry but I would like the chance to get to know you and this is as good an opportunity as any. If you are agreeable?"

Two Zelda's battled it out inside me. One wanted to accept his suggestion, Maximus was the first man to make me feel even moderately safe since my injury and I wouldn't lie to myself by saying I wasn't interested in getting to know him more.

But the other half wanted to curl back up and hide in my room. These feelings are new and terrifying, the last time I felt even a fraction of them it ended horribly. While I knew that just because I was feeling a slight infatuation didn't mean disaster was ahead, I still couldn't shake the feeling that it would turn into a painful mess.

Looking up, I met Maximus's eyes. He looked…hopeful for lack of a better word. He really wanted to get to know me and, with a fortifying breath, I decided to take the leap of faith.

"That sounds nice, if you're sure that you don't mind." The smile he sent me made my stomach feel as if bubbles were expanding in it. He gestured for me to follow him as he led, I did so while trying to settle my broiling emotions. He had been nothing but polite to me since our meeting, even when I had given him no reason to be. Just because I was feeling things for him that he definitely couldn't return was no reason for me to refuse his kind offer.

When we reached the kitchen, Maximus wasted no time in maneuvering around my chair. "So, what sounds good?" He looked at me expectantly, but no irritation showed as he waited patiently for my answer.

Biting my lip, I ignored the tang of blood and missed his flash of concern as I thought out my answer. "I would like some hot cocoa, if you have it…" I really wanted some cookies, but I got the feeling that if they didn't have any he would go and buy some for me. I didn't want to trouble him any more than I already was.

My longing must have shown on my face because he lifted an eyebrow while prodding in a playful tone, "Aaaaand?"

My cheeks flushed red, of course he would know I hadn't told him all of it. I mumbled under my breath, "And some cookies, if you have them. If you don't then that's fine, please don't go out of your way."

Maximus grinned down at me before spinning to rifle through the cupboards. Pulling out the cocoa he began breezing around the kitchen, his voice brushing over me like a caress. "We don't have any premade cookies, but I can make some for you that I guarantee will be better than any store bought ones you've tasted."

His voice had lulled me into a drowsy state to the point it took me a second to process what he said, but before I could object about him going out of his way, he turned to me. His grin never slipped as he rebutted my argument before it could even leave my mouth. "Our kitchen wasn't built with your disability in mind so I will make you whatever you want and before you say it, I truly don't mind doing it. So far I enjoy your company and would like the opportunity to cook for you. So what type of cookie is your favorite?"

Swallowing back my instant denial, I sighed in defeat. As I quietly mumbled my favorite cookie, the feeling of warmth slid through my chest, leaving a light feathery feeling in its wake. I had never felt this before, not to this extent at least and definitely not for someone I only just met. The feeling wasn't altogether bad, it was just unsettling. Generally, lust followed this feeling and the thought of doing…those type of things with Maximus was enough to turn the butterflies in my stomach to ashes.

Knowing my thoughts were going nowhere good, I redirected them to my amazement over the situation. _A hot blonde man who could double as a heart throb in any Hollywood movie is offering to make me cookies while making me cocoa._

Through the feeling of surrealism, the flutter increases against my stomach as if reminding me that it was still there, thank you very much. Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I again forced myself to drop the line of thought. It would only lead to heartbreak. _He's just being nice. Don't look deeper into it because he's the first person you've been attracted to in…years._

Maximus stretched to reach the uppermost cupboard, making my mouth go dry as the muscles in his back flexed invitingly. The sight of the muscles shifting and moving was enough to have me swallowing around the mouthful of saliva that suddenly appeared, and to send a shot of molten heat straight down to my stomach.

The feeling froze me in surprise, I had never felt that before… But that surprise quickly turned to fear. Memories of the last time I had been forced to indulge in intimate activities flared to the forefront of my mind. The feeling of phantom hands came back with a vengeance as my stomach threatened to heave its contents back up.

Focusing on my breathing, I tried to pry my mind away from the memories but they refused to be pushed aside. Distantly, I heard Maximus ask me something but I couldn't focus past the building panic. As my heart hammered in my chest and my stomach rolled threateningly, a touch on the back of my hand jolted me out of my thoughts. My eyes snapped open to stare at where Maximus's thumb rested against my knuckles. He wasn't moving at all, his eyes riveted on me with concern lightening their dark grey color. As his thumb brushed carefully against my knuckles, I braced for the instinctually revulsion I always felt, only for confusion to hit when it never came.

Staring into his eyes with what must be a dumbstruck look plastered across my face, I shifted my hand against his thumb again. Again the feeling of skin on skin met me, but just like before no negative feelings made themselves known. While logically my mind understood this, the rest of me wasn't so accepting. I had hated every touch for years, leading to many fights with my mother when I refused to hug her or allow her to touch me, and yet Maximus, a man who I had known less than a day, was stroking my hand and I felt nothing.

Well, not nothing. It actually felt…nice. The thought shocked me so much that I didn't hear Maximus speaking until he was almost right in my face, the sudden proximity not spooking me like it had with others in the past.

"Zelda, are you alright? You're pale as a sheet and your hands are ice cold." He had no idea of the turmoil he was causing, and I wasn't about to inform him. I needed time to think about my new feelings, my not having any negative reaction to his touch and everything else to do with my sister.

Swallowing my emotions back, I did my best to reassure him. "Sorry, the nightmare just hasn't quite let go yet." Maximus leaned back but didn't look convinced. Instead of pushing the subject, he handed me the cocoa. "Careful, it's still hot. Hopefully this will help you a bit. I'm going to start on the cookies, so relax and try to forget the nightmare."

I felt the calluses brush against my skin as he passed me the cocoa, the brief touch against the back of my hand sending a new round of butterflies flying in my stomach. _Those butterflies must be made of tungsten steel or something because nothing seems to kill them._

Bringing the mug to my mouth, I sipped slowly only to hum in enjoyment after the first mouthful. "This is really good, thank you."

Maximus waved the thanks off, pulling a cookbook from the cupboard as he unfolded an apron. The sight of his lean body clothed in nothing more than an apron and sleep pants sent another flash of heat down to my stomach. A light shudder rolled down my spine, but I spoke up in an attempt to preempt the panic. "So what do you do for Vlad, when you're not on Zelda sitting duty that is?"

Maximus mixed the ingredients as he answered, glancing up to briefly meet my eyes. "You say that as if talking to you is such a horrendous task. I quite enjoy spending time with you, but to answer your question, I'm one of Vlad's guardsmen."

I wasn't surprised, his body certainly looked like he worked out… Mentally slapping myself, I moved on to the next question. "How long have you been a guard?"

I didn't understand his smile when he turned to me, it looked like someone who was sharing an inside joke but I didn't get it. His words didn't help me understand at all. "Longer than you could imagine." Before I could ask further, he continued. "I have been under Vlad's employment for the better half of my life and have had no desire to go elsewhere."

He turned back around to retrieve a cookie sheet, but before he could start to spoon the dough I cut in. "Can I help with that? It's been awhile since I've made cookies."

Without a word he handed the spoons over and shifted to holding the bowl. I balanced the sheet on my lap and began carefully forming cookies. Once it was full, Maximus put it in the oven before refocusing on me.

He let out a snort when he saw me freeze, mid lick of the spoon. Embarrassment flared in my cheeks as we stared at one another. After a moment, his mouth twitched in amusement before he gestured to the spoon. "You don't need to stop on my account, we are finished with the spoon and I'm not hungry."

I continued licking the spoon clean, still flushing dark red but grateful I had something to distract myself. Once it was as clean as it would get I put it in the sink and turned back to Maximus. He was leaned casually against the counter top, his eyes following me as I rolled back to his side. The light glinted off his eyes, almost making them appear green for an instant. I looked again only to see his usual grey, as I expected. Maybe I needed sleep more than I thought.

His voice startled me when he suddenly spoke, "Are you comfortable in your chair or would you prefer to shift to a stool?" He gestured to the kitchen seats by the bar with his hand, but didn't move toward me.

Biting back a grimace, I was suddenly very aware of how sore my butt felt. Another downside to being in a chair all day. Shifting would help some, but I would need help to not topple right off the stool… Mentally, I gathered my courage. His touch hadn't caused a panic earlier, so maybe it wouldn't this time either and there was only one way to find out…

"I am pretty sore, but I'd need your help. I can't shift out of my chair without the stool being braced or I'll fall off it or topple it completely."

Maximus nodded his understanding before moving to hold the stool still. Looking at me expectantly, he waited. Taking another deep breath, I locked my wheels before using the counter to pull my weight up. Once I was up, I swung sideways to slide onto the stool only to over shoot it. I felt as I started to fall, the familiar kick of panic making me squeak and flail only for two hands to catch me. One I could see belonged to Maximus, but the other was…

Vlad stood behind me with his hand on my arm to keep me from falling and a concerned frown on his face. My shock quickly fled to be replaced with a familiar sickening sensation that made me physically jerk away from his touch.

_Well that shot a hole in my working theory that I was getting better with other people's touch. But then why don't I mind Maximus's? _ As if to further prove the point Maximus's hand hadn't left its spot but no panic made itself known. The brush of his fingers against my hip should have sent hme into an attack as it had with many others, and yet there was no reaction.

Realizing that both men were staring, I quickly righted myself on the stool as my face burned red again. It's going to stay red at this rate… "Sorry about that, I told you transferring isn't easy but thank you for holding the stool and for catching me." I angled the last bit to both of them. Despite my harsh jolt away from Vlad's hand, he had also helped stop me from landing on the ground.

My mind sardonically inputted, _Great job Zelda, you almost landed your ass on the floor in front of your sister's husband and a man that could pass as Adonis. Because that's how you make a good impression. Having to have one of them lift you off the floor like a senior citizen on life alert._

I could only be grateful that I hadn't actually landed on the floor, so I saved some of my dignity. As I shifted to get comfortable, I felt Maximus's hand stroke my back. The feeling was comforting and I felt my face cool as I relaxed into the new but mostly okay sensation. _Maybe I don't fear his touch because something deep down knows he isn't the type to force himself on me like that monster…But if that were the case, I wouldn't have reacted to Vlad's touch. _

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I resolved to think on it more once I was alone. _Whatever, there's no use in thinking about it now. I'll have plenty of time to try to figure it out later._

Unknown to me, Vlad stiffened behind my back. Maximus eyes him curiously, but doesn't say anything when Vlad gestured for him to continue on as normal. After a 'we're talking about that later' look Maximus focused back on me.

"Are you alright? That was almost bad." I nodded, glad to feel my blush completely recede.

"I'm fine. Even if I did fall it wouldn't be the first time and it won't be the last either. I've survived worse than a little bump." I couldn't help my tone darkening toward the end, _if only you knew just how much I have survived._

Shaking off the thought, I turned to Maximus. "Besides, you looked like you were a split second from catching me. Your reflexes must be insane, I didn't even see you move." _I'm almost disappointed he didn't catch me, it's been years since I've enjoyed being in someone's arms._

As Maximus spoke to me, my mind wandered to my odd attraction to him. _I really need to get ahold of myself, just because I have some type of attraction to him doesn't mean he would return it. Even if I were to ignore my disability and my many personality flaws, men don't like women who drop into a psychotic break anytime they touch them in intimate areas…_

I watched in confusion as Vlad's form stiffened. What had caused such a reaction? I went back over what I had said but found nothing. I heard a whisper of sound, that almost sounded like Vlad's voice but it was too quiet to be him, what with him being right behind me. Immediately after the sound, Maximus stiffened too.

"Are you two alright?" For both of them to suddenly go stiff, something must be up. Maximus met my eyes, his grey ones seeming to war with himself over something before the sound of the timer broke us out of our staring contest.

Maximus excused himself to pull the cookies out of the oven, leaving me with the feeling that I just missed something important. Before I could pursue the topic anymore, Vlad pulled me into conversation.

As I chatted with him, my eyes followed Maximus. His body seemed to cut through the air as he moved with an almost unnatural grace. _Must come from fighting as a guard for so long. He wouldn't only get muscles from that kind of experience after all. _I didn't even try to stop the thought that time, choosing to ignore it instead.

When Maximus came back with the cookies, he seemed completely relaxed, as if both he and his boss hadn't turned to statues for a minute. Taking the offered cookie, I bit into it and almost moaned. The sound stopping low in my throat as I sipped my cocoa. "These are delicious. You were right, they're better than any other cookies I've had."

While the cookies did taste phenomenal, they tasted even better knowing he made them specifically for me. Food always tasted better when it was made for you. The effort he put in just because I had a nightmare made me warm inside and for the first time in four years I wanted to give that warmth back to someone. Before I could lose my nerve, I gripped his hand and squeezed in gratitude.

The dazed look on his face was amusing but he quickly recovered, "You're most welcome. Should you ever feel the need for a midnight baking spree feel free to come knock on my door. I don't sleep much so there's a good chance you'll catch me while I'm awake. If you need anything else for that matter, don't hesitate to come to me."

I felt blissfully happy as I munched on my cookies, sipped my cocoa and enjoyed the touch of his hand that he still hadn't taken back yet. _I'll enjoy this while it lasts, for however long that is._

As I finished the cookie, I bit back a yawn. It was time to go back to bed for me. "I think I'm going to try sleeping again, thank you again for your company Maximus. I can find my own way back if you want to stay and chat with Vlad." Maximus stood to help me back into my chair without being asked, making gratitude flare in me again.

Once I was situated again, I sent them both a wave before turning and wheeling out of the room. I didn't see the look Maximus sent after me, but Vlad did.

And that's it for this one! Next chapter will be short and be centered around Maximus and Vlad's conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

AND WE ARE BACK with Chapter 4, if you don't remember this one will be focused on Maximus and Vlad. It will also be shorter than my chapters usually are, but that's okay. Once it gets rolling it will never seem to stop. Read and Review, as always.

Vlad watched as his oldest friend stared after Zelda. He hadn't seen that look in his friend's eyes in…ever. He had looked at Leila in a similar manner before Vlad had married her, but this look was different. If he had been looking at any other woman, Vlad would be happy for him. The problem wasn't that she was Leila's sister, Maximus would never do anything to harm her willingly or otherwise and Vlad knew that. No, the problem lies with what he had heard from her thoughts.

Deciding to address it, although he had briefly mentioned it earlier when Maximus had continued touching Zelda after her initial jerk away, he spoke. "Now that she is gone, we have things we need to discuss."

The smitten look dropped from Maximus's eyes as his attention riveted to Vlad. His mind whirled as Vlad's previous words echoed in his mind. 'She's similar to me, don't touch her unless she instigates it.'

The rage that bubbled forward was surprising in its intensity. He loathed rapists, but he had never felt such a visceral urge to hunt someone down and rip them into undistinguishable pieces before. He had only known Zelda for a day, he shouldn't be _this _protective of her already…

Discarding his train of thought to be pondered later, he focused on Vlad. "Yes, we do. I can't believe I didn't notice sooner. Some of her mannerisms remind me of you when we first met, I should have seen it."

Vlad hummed, watching his friend's reactions. It was rare for Maximus to react so extremely to something. If what Vlad was thinking proved to be true then his friend was in for a difficult road ahead of him.

Maximus sighed, turning to Vlad with a hard smile. "I seem to have an affinity for acquiring feelings for women who can't return them for one reason or another." It would be karma for him to be forever alone to repay for the sins he committed in his youth.

Vlad chose his next words carefully, "I wouldn't say she is unable to return them." Maximus's eyes swiveled to him, all of his attention now centered on Vlad.

Continuing on, Vlad faced Maximus. "She has admired your physical form multiple times. Your casual touch doesn't bother her, but the feeling of lust you inspire in her does. She seems to have no reluctance about liking you, but she believes her disabled status or her past will make you uninterested. If you two wanted to make it work, you could, but it would take communication and patience. Both of which you excel in when you put your mind to it."

Maximus felt excitement and hope bubble in his gut, if Vlad was saying that it was possible then it was. He didn't care how slow the progress was, for a chance at what Vlad had with Leila, Maximus was willing to wait as long as was necessary. Although, the idea that Zelda's confidence was so low left a sinking feeling in his gut. How could she not see that she was beautiful?

"I've thought much the same about Leila. She has gotten better over the course of our relationship but it didn't happen overnight, don't expect it to change quickly." Vlad looked at him with knowing eyes. Apparently, he had said that last part out loud instead of in his head.

Maximus nodded to show he understood, before Vlad pushed onward. "I will not stand in your way in this, but Zelda is Leila's sister. Do nothing to harm her, on purpose or otherwise."

Maximus made sure to stare into Vlad's eyes when he responded, wanting him to know how serious he was. "I would never hurt her."

"I know you wouldn't but I must tell you not to at least once. Although, once Leila hears she may be giving you her own 'shovel talk'."

Maximus bit back a chuckle at the thought, but didn't deny it. From what he had heard about Zelda's family, besides Leila, she would need all the support she could get. Amusement drained from him as he slumped into the chair she had vacated. "How should I go about this? The last thing I want is to scare her off by being too forward."

Vlad moved to take the chair across from him before replying, "She seems fine with your casual touches, enjoys them even, but I wouldn't risk anything more. Avoid the obvious areas and try not to overwhelm her with desire while she is still uncomfortable with it. If your relationship seems to be serious then sit down and have the discussion of boundaries as well as any possible triggers that she might have. That is all the advice I can give on the subject."

Maximus turned over the information in his head. It was what he had already planned to do, but hearing it from Vlad gave him a bit more confidence in his lack of an actual plan.

Standing, he cracked his knuckles, "I suddenly feel the need to violently beat something into a pulp. If you need me I'll be in the dungeon." Vlad nodded, standing himself but not following. "Leila is waiting for me, I only mentioned leaving to check on a few things."

Before Maximus could turn around, Vlad called him back with a sly smile, "There were perfectly acceptable Oreos in the cabinet behind you. Have a sudden urge to bake at dawn?"

Maximus bit back a groan, of course he would catch that. Vlad waves off his chagrin, "There's nothing to be ashamed of in showcasing your cooking abilities to a potential lover. If the sound she made was any indication she quite enjoyed your skills."

The reminder of that groan pulled a muffled hiss from Maximus. Hearing it, even though she had stopped it in her throat, had almost been enough to bring him to his knees. Vlad knew this, his smirk furthering proving that. In the moment he had used all of his control to keep his eyes from flashing, alerting her to more than just his desire.

Glaring at his friend Maximus turned to leave, picking up his pace when Vlad's laughter followed after him. Walking to his room to change, he stopped briefly outside of Zelda's door. Listening in to make sure she wasn't having another nightmare, he waited only to hear her steady breathing and heartbeat. Nodding in satisfaction, he continued on his way.

His hand still tingled from where she had gripped him in gratitude, the feeling seemed to spread out from the hand to his chest. If this was how a simple touch made him feel, how would it feel to hold her in his arms? Or to lay with her in slumber? The thoughts sent a shiver down his spine, the imagery producing a fierce ache in his heart. If things went according to plan, he might find out one day, hopefully one day soon.

Maximus has it BAD, I was aiming for him to be like Bones was in the beginning. Sort of, while still being Maximus.


	5. Chapter 5

And here we are with Chapter 5! We get some resolution in this one, so stay with me and breath. You also get a glimpse into Zelda's past, and the trauma that caused her injury.

I stretched my arms above my head, the muscles in my back popping loudly, before I started wheeling toward the sitting room from yesterday. After finishing breakfast with Leila, who now walked in front of me, we were ready to continue yesterday's getting-to-know-you conversation.

We exchanged idle chatter as we approached the room where Leila took her previous place while I pulled up across from her. Almost immediately, Leila asked a question that had my ears burning. "So, Vlad said you had an interesting night with Maximus?"

It was all I could do not to fall out of my chair in surprise, that had come out of nowhere… "I had a nightmare and he insisted on bringing me to the kitchen. He made me cocoa and cookies while we chatted and your husband came just as I almost fell off a stool." It seemed such a simple thing when I explained it like that, but what I had felt yesterday with Maximus had been anything but ordinary. Whatever the reason was that I was relaxed around him, it was far from simple.

Leila's smile held no mocking, only an odd warmth that carried over when she spoke. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad. Maximus is a good friend of mine and he seems to like you. Anything that happens between you two is entirely your business and no one else's."

I wasn't sure what to do with her words, part of me was relieved that she had no objections to my apparently painfully obvious attraction to Maximus but on the other hand…

"I'm not sure if anything _will_ happen. It has nothing to do with Maximus, I'm just not…comfortable with people." My voice was a whisper when it came out, a deep aching sorrow seemed to swallow me whole as I thought on how different Maximus and I were. Leila shifted, pulling my attention to her before she spoke.

"I understand that, until I met Vlad I had difficulty connecting to anyone. With him it just felt right. Talking to him was easy and just being around him made me feel safer than I had ever been before." Her voice had a dreamy quality to it as she stared through me. Longing tugged at my chest, I wanted that type of relationship, but I wouldn't delude myself. As long as I was terrified of touch, it wasn't going to happen.

For the first time in four years, I wanted to talk about my trauma, and with someone I barely knew for that matter. Biting my lip, I considered the pros and cons of telling Leila about the real reason I didn't think a relationship would work between Maximus and I.

My face must have been showing some of my inner turmoil because Leila's expression shifted to concern, as did her tone. "Zelda, are you alright? You just paled to almost white. If you're sick I can get some medicine?"

She looked ready to rise from her couch and go in search of that medicine immediately, her concern was touching and it ultimately made my decision for me. "I'm not sick, not physically anyway. There's another reason I don't think Maximus and I would work out, but it's a pretty heavy subject. So if you don't want to hear it that's fine…"

Leila immediately settled back into the couch, her face a mask of determination. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here but if you don't then that's okay too."

Her eyes bore into mine, but not in a hostile way. She was worried for me and there to listen, and in a strange twist of events I wanted to talk about it. Taking a breath to gather my scattered nerves, I began slowly at first but after I started it seemed to come pouring out.

"I'm sure you can guess what happened, but I'll tell you the basics. I had only just turned twenty and my mother had introduced me to someone from her work. He seemed nice, there was nothing that sent any red flags off in my mind, so when he asked me out I accepted. As you can guess, he wasn't actually nice. After we dated for a few weeks, he wanted…more. And when I refused, he became furious. Throwing things, shouting, and before he left he hit me."

I had to stop momentarily, my hands were shaking as if there was an earthquake and my stomach was churning dangerously. Leila shifted forward, placing her gloved hand on the table facing palm up. It was an offer for comfort, but not a demand for contact. Biting my lip, I hesitantly slid one of my hands into hers. My skin felt itchy where she touched, but it didn't give me the gut twisting revulsion I was used to from everyone else. Maybe it was because of the gloves, or maybe it was because she was so genuinely friendly. Whatever the reason, her touch was comforting and gave me the strength to continue.

"I wanted to break it off immediately, but he came back and apologized. Said that he had been drinking earlier in the day and hadn't gotten it all out of his system. I didn't smell any alcohol on his breath, but I was too afraid to dispute him. The relationship continued despite me not wanting anything to do with him. After a month he asked again, but that time he didn't take no for an answer."

Swallowing hard, I forced my misty eyes to meet Leila's compassionate gaze. "I won't go into details, but when he finally finished I felt filthy, terrified. I tried to tell my mother, my father, anyone but Lance's reputation was clean so no one believed me. They told me to stop claiming such lies against such a _nice_ man, by the time I realized that I wouldn't be getting help running away from him I had lost all of my friends to his charade. The…incidents continued until one day I decided to fight back. He had come home drunk and when he began pawing at me I ran to the kitchen."

I stopped again to brush my tears away with the hand not gripped in Leila's. "Everything is a blur, but the next thing I knew he had me pinned against the counter with a knife in my lower back. Doctors told me later that I was _lucky_ to be alive, but there was nothing they could do for my spine. He had nicked it badly, which is how I wound up in my chair. When he left again after getting what he wanted I called the cops. It turned into a circus, my family was cold and began leaving threats in my hospital room for me to drop the charges, but I refused. The doctors did a rape test when they brought me in and the DNA from that plus my testimony put Lance away for six years. The court ruled that since he had no previous record he shouldn't have to stay in jail for all of his life over "one little mistake"."

Leila looked ready to march straight to North Carolina and hunt down Lance herself. I could have sworn I saw a hint of green in her eyes, reminding me of the green in Maximus's last night, but before I could look closer it was gone.

Leila's voice brought me back to the present, her hand still squeezing my own. "He deserved worse than he got. No rapist should be allowed to walk out of a prison, not without being castrated first at least." Her tone dripped in blood thirst that scared me, but I forced a smile while reminding myself that it was on my behalf and not aimed at me.

"I completely agree, I have difficulty sleeping at night sometimes knowing that it is only a few more years before he is out again. The nightmares are vicious…" Last night had been one of the more ugly ones and waking up in an unfamiliar room hadn't helped with that in the slightest.

Leila took a deep breath, forcing her rage back, before she spoke again. "Thank you for telling me, I'm sure it wasn't easy on you. I understand why you wouldn't want to start a relationship with that lurking in your past. I'm impressed that you've done so much with your life without any type of support system."

I ducked my head at her praise, but the bloom of pride felt nice. "It wasn't like there was another option. I didn't want him to win, not after everything else he had already taken from me. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to completely erase the experience from my mind, I still have difficulties with touch."

Worry immediately flashed across Leila's face, tugging at their joined hands before she spoke. "Is this okay?"

Warmth bubbled in my stomach at her concern, "Yeah, I didn't have to leave my hand in yours after all. It doesn't feel bad like everyone else's touch does. It's nice to feel someone else without immediately wanting to scrub my skin afterward."

Relaxing back into the couch without removing her hand, Leila continued. "Do you have that reaction to everyone besides me?"

I nodded only to quickly amend myself, "Well, most everyone. I don't have that reaction to Maximus…" Which was the main reason I was even able to consider having a relationship with him. If his touch made my skin crawl like everyone else's it wouldn't matter how much he stirred my hormones.

Leila smiled again, stroking my hand as she went on. "If you don't react like that to him, why wouldn't a relationship be possible?"

My muscles tensed, was it really appropriate for me to be using what time I have to learn about my sister talking about a relationship that I know won't happen? Glancing over Leila, I could tell that she seemed interested in the topic, but did that make it right? I came here to learn about her, not rediscover my hormones…

"Why are you so interested in this? I would think you would want to spend the time we have together to learn about each other…" I made sure my tone was neutral, not wanting to come off as snappy, but I was still genuinely confused by her insistence.

Leila blinked in surprise, leaning back a bit she contemplated my question. After a moment, she answered with certainty. "Well, after talking with you I know that I want to stay in contact when you go home, if you want to. I have some problems with technology that makes texting difficult but maybe we could call each other? Of course I want to learn more about you while you're here but you seem to have a genuine interest in my friend so I want to help, if you want it."

Now she seemed hesitant, not wanting her to feel unsure I reassured her. "I'd love to keep in contact, it would be nice to have someone to talk to besides my mother. As for the other thing, I'm not sure if there is anything to help with. Even if I had full range of motion and was moderately emotionally stable, I doubt I'm the type of girl someone like him would like."

The truth of that statement hurt to say, but I needed to get it out there. For me just as much for Leila. I can't get my hopes up, it would hurt too much. To finally find someone that doesn't instantly make me terrified just by touching me, and to have feelings for them to boot, only for them to reject me for one reason or the other? It would be too painful.

Leila's next statement froze my train of thought, "Have you asked him?" I blinked owlishly at her, she couldn't possibly be suggesting what I think she's suggesting…

Seeing my dumbstruck expression, she powered on with a determined scowl. "You can't know what type of girl he likes if you don't ask him. You're just assuming he won't like you without actually having any proof to base that off of. It's insulting to Maximus, and yourself, to think he wouldn't like you just because of your disability or the trauma you lived through." Her words had a hard edge to them, making instant anxiety flare in my chest.

I tried to tug my hand back, the contact edging toward painful, but Leila held firm. The hard frown softened as she sighed. "That may have been harsh of me, but you shouldn't put yourself down like that. You survived something horrible and made a new life for yourself. That makes you stronger than a lot of other people who were in your situation. If Maximus doesn't like you then that's his loss, but wouldn't it be worth it to know for sure?"

My anxiety simmered below the surface as I contemplated her words. Would it be worth it to know? "What if he rejects me?" I wasn't aware I said it out loud, I certainly hadn't meant to, but Leila replied anyway.

"Then he's missed out on something great and I'll ask one of the staff to get us junk food to binge on. We can make a night of it, and if he doesn't reject you then we can still do the movie night, just without the tears." Her grip was firm and her eyes never left mine, her blue gaze imploring me to take the chance.

Chewing my lip, I forced myself to breathe through my anxiousness and focus. She was right, if I asked him out and he refused I could be comforted by her and then get over it. But if I didn't even try then I would regret it when I get home. Do I really have enough room in my life for more what ifs?

I released my lip when I tasted blood, my nerves making me chew through it without thinking. Taking in a shaking breath, I asked. "Say I agreed, say I tried to ask him out. What would I even say? Hey, I know I'm way below your league to the point of not even being in the same ballpark as you, but you want to give it a shot? Oh and you can't touch me unexpectedly or at all in certain areas without me freaking out like a psycho path. Yeah, that'll go well."

Leila huffed out an irritated breath, shaking her head at me as she refuted my sarcasm. "You're not a psychopath, I have personal experience with those so I can say with confidence that you never will be one. You're someone who has been through a messed up situation and Maximus knows how to handle that. If you tell him you don't want to be touched, then he won't touch you. It's that simple. As for how you should ask him out? Just do it. Planning doesn't work, trust me on that."

My stomach rolled dangerously, as if sensing my genuine consideration of her words. I really didn't like being spontaneous, but I also had no idea what I would say even if I did plan it out. Groaning in frustration, I pulled my hand back now that she had loosened her grip.

"Damn it, now you planted the thought in my head it won't go away." Leila grinned triumphantly, before patting my shoulder gently.

"Good. So shall we go find Maximus?" The statement sent my stomach into a new batch of spins, the nerves mixing with my excitement.

Looking over her face, I knew that if I put my foot down, so to speak, she would back off, but it was just going to keep bothering me until I dealt with it. I nodded, forcing a small smile when Leila jumped up in happiness. Hopefully, this wouldn't end in disaster…

Feeling another sigh building, I pushed it back while wheeling toward the door. "I'll go to him myself, if you want to hear the conversation just stay outside of the room. I may need you to save me if it goes South."

Leila kept stride with me easily, not commenting on the saving comment. "Maximus should be around here somewhere…" Just as she finished the sentence, the blond we were looking for entered the room with Vlad.

Maximus immediately caught my gaze before smiling, the sight reviving the butterflies and my nerves. Before I could open my mouth and undoubtedly say something stupid, Leila looped her arm with Vlad's and ducked out of the room with a jaunty, "I'll talk to you later Zelda." Thrown over her shoulder. I could see Vlad's confused expression as his wife intently tugged him out of the hallway before they disappeared behind a door.

I turned to Maximus, who was watching me with curiosity. Before he could speak up and ask questions I wasn't sure how to answer, I sputtered out. "Is there somewhere I can talk to you, in private?" If my heart beat any faster it was going to burst. But to my relief, Maximus nodded and began leading me to wherever he chose without asking questions.

As I followed, I tried to keep my courage and not chicken out. I told myself I was going to ask him, so I would. Now I just had to keep that conviction when it actually came time to say something. The walk to our destination was too short in my opinion, I didn't feel ready when he pulled to a stop outside of what I now recognized as his room. Opening the door, he stepped to the side for me to enter. With a steadying breath, I did. The second I crossed the threshold I felt my nerves light on fire alongside my determination rising.

Yes, yes I know I'm evil. Anyway read and review to let me know if anyone out there is reading this thing.


	6. Chapter 6

Heyo, here I am with Chapter 6! We finally get so see some progress between these two! Read and review, as always to let me know how I'm doing.

The second I crossed the threshold I felt my nerves light on fire alongside my determination rising.

_Just get it over with, he can reject me and I can be done with this. _With that not at all comforting thought, I turned to him. He stood in front of the closed door, the space felt more intimate now to my chagrin, with a concerned frown.

"Alright, we're alone. What is it you wanted to discuss?" His voice was pitched low just like it was when he tried to calm me down the other day and I was relieved to find it had the same effect. His voice seemed to stroke over my frayed nerves, giving me the strength I needed to push my question out.

I turned to face him, rolling until I was two feet in front of him, before I spoke. My eyes kept skirting away, only for me to forcibly pull them back to him. I wasn't going to chicken out, and I was going to look him in the eye when I asked him. I am a grown woman, I can do this. "I'm not sure how to word this and it's probably going to come out wrong, so I'll apologize for my word vomit before I even start. I…like you Maximus, as more than a friend. I would be interested in entering a mutual partnership."

I stopped, groaning in frustration. I was making this sound like a business deal. Trying again, I pushed through. "I would like to go on a date with you, if you want to. If you don't, I completely understand and we can never mention this again. If you don't I would still like to be friends, but after this disaster, if you don't want to-"

Maximus strode forward before kneeling to be at my height, probably noticing my neck pain from having to crane backwards to meet his eyes. He reached out only to freeze with his hand hovering over mine. His eyes asked permission and I gave it by gripping the offering tightly. My nerves danced as the skin on skin contact fed my infatuation.

His face was a mask of determination and his tone was calm as his fingers stroked mine. "Even if I wasn't interested in you romantically, which to be clear isn't the case at all, I would still treasure you as a friend. I would absolutely love to go on a date with you, the only reason I didn't ask you on one was because I wasn't sure what you felt. If you'd be agreeable I could come by and pick you up later tonight and bring you to town. There are plenty of places I know of that have good food, or if you'd prefer we could stay here and watch a movie with dinner. The choice is entirely up to you, but my answer is yes. Yes to a partnership, yes to a date, yes without reservations."

My previous nerves exploded, to my confusion. Weren't they supposed to go away now? He said yes! Which was mind boggling all on its own, but that was a concern for later. He said yes, and wanted me to choose what we did. The thought of staying in was tempting, to talk with him over dinner and a movie without the distraction of other people, but it had been so long since I had gone out to eat with someone who genuinely cared about me.

Making my decision, I smiled a tad shakily at him. "Going out to eat sounds nice, maybe if it goes well we could set up more dates here?" I grimaced at how unsure I sounded, but thankfully Maximus dispelled my nerves with a beaming smile. The sight of it momentarily dazed me. I didn't know people's teeth could spark like that in real life…

"That sounds perfect, I'll make the arrangements post haste. What kind of food do you like?" He rose from his kneeling position as he spoke, his eyes trained intently on me. He looked like he was about to start bouncing on his heels, but he couldn't be _that_ excited about our date, could he?

"I'm good with anything as long as it's not spicy." He nodded, appearing to think on the options that left him with before continuing.

"How does a local Romanian restaurant sound? I know which foods are spicy and can tell you which ones to avoid." I agreed, still faintly stunned that this was a thing that was happening. A hot blond man, whose touch I actually liked, was practically vibrating with excitement while planning a nice night out for us.

After we agreed for him to pick me up at my room in a few hours, I rolled out of his room only to come to a hard stop when I almost ran over Leila. She stood outside the door to my temporary room, with an expectant look on her face. She must not have listened in after all, "He said yes, he'll be by later to pick me up. We're going out to a local restaurant for dinner."

Leila beamed in a similar way to Maximus before crouching to offer me a hug. I only hesitated a second before accepting. The feel of her arms around me was a comfort I hadn't indulged in for years, not to say I hadn't been hugged, I just hadn't enjoyed it. When she pulled back, her eyes were dancing with impish glee. "What did I tell you? Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Acknowledging her point with a tilt of my head, I let her have her victory dance. She had been right, it had been worth it to ask in this case. Now I was set to go on my first date in over five years…

I jolted straight up in my chair as a thought came to me, Leila jerked back at my sudden movement. "What am I going to wear?!" Such a mundane question, and yet it sent panic through to my soul. Long dresses and skirts got caught in my wheels, but were jeans acceptable for whatever restaurant he was thinking of bringing me to? It was our first date, wasn't I supposed to dress _up_ for that?

My head spun as Leila let out a soft laugh, it wasn't meant mockingly but I still huffed at her. She waved her hand in apology before speaking. "I can help with that, no worries. Let's get into your room and we can see what our options are. I can do your hair and makeup for you, if you want?"

Head still twirling, I nodded. Even through my daze I felt excitement firing inside of me. I was going to be getting ready for my date with the help of my new sister. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, as if it were straight from a fairy tale. A little voice nudged at the back of my mind, warning me that it was too good to be true, but I pushed it back. It wasn't going to ruin this for me, I had let it control too many of my decisions already.

As I rolled into the room behind Leila, I stole one last glance at Maximus's door. _It's now or never, let's see how this goes._

After three hours of having my hair brushed, curled and pinned up I was ready to jump out of my skin. The most elaborate hairdo I had before was a french braid and this was as far out of my comfort zone as I could get. Leila had done my makeup to the point I almost didn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror.

The eyeliner made my usually boring hazel eyes pop and the braids she put in my hair held the usually limp, brown mass off of my shoulders. I looked like Cinderella getting ready for a ball and the comparison both amazed and frightened me. Would Maximus like this? It wasn't something I had tried before, but then again I never tried anything new.

Leila stepped back and gave a playful wolf whistle, "You look great! Now you just have to get into your clothes and you're good to go when Prince Charming shows up."

The subject of clothes brought my nerves back. It hadn't been easy to find something that was short enough to not get caught in my wheels, long enough for me to feel comfortable, and nice enough to be acceptable for a first date. We had eventually settled on a mid length, black skirt that I could only pray wouldn't get tangled or rip and a simple white blouse.

Turning away from the mirror, I addressed Leila. "I appreciate your help, but I can take it from here. I'm not comfortable with anyone seeing me naked." My tone was apologetic, but she waved it off easily.

"No need to apologize for that, I wouldn't be comfortable if the situations were reversed and it's not like it's a dress where you need help with the zipper. You've got this in hand, if you need anything ask one of the staff to come and get me. After you get back find me immediately, I can't wait to hear all about it!"

Her genuine excitement on my behalf had tears welling in my eyes before I quickly blinked them back. "Thank you, I'll do that. Fingers crossed, it will go well." Leila opened her arms in the offer of a hug, which I didn't hesitate to accept. I was really liking this hug thing and, if the squeeze she gave me was any indication, so was she. With a final wave, Leila left me to it.

Turning to the bed where my outfit was laid out, I began to carefully dress. I wasn't used to maneuvering clothes around makeup, but when I was finally finished and I could see no smudges I patted myself on the back for a job well done.

Just as the clock struck six, a knock sounded at the door. My heart lurched into my throat, but excitement flushed through my veins as I moved to answer it.

Maximus was a sight to behold, his hair combed back smoothly and collected into a hair tie at the base of his neck. He wore a deep red shirt that seemed to be painted on in all the right places and black slacks that perfectly completed the look. I felt my tongue turn to lead in my mouth, swallowing for my suddenly dry throat. He smiled and with a start I realized he had dimples, _Can this man get any cuter?_

As if in answer to my thoughts, he pulled a single rose out from behind his back and offered it. "I wasn't sure about your opinion on flowers, so I stuck with the classics. You look beautiful and I'm glad that I have the chance to get to know you like this."

He looked almost bashful when admitting he didn't know my favorite flower, the sight was both adorable and, as an odd combination, insanely arousing. It was nice to know I wasn't the only one who was nervous about tonight. "I love it, thank you and I'm happy Leila helped me pluck up the courage to ask you."

He raised a brow, before gently brushing a stray curl back behind my ear, the slightest brush of skin sending tingles down my spine. "I'll have to thank her later, but for now I believe we have a date to go on."

So saying, he handed off the rose before standing back for me to clear the doorway. He stayed at my side as we moved toward the entrance where he had a car waiting, the same one that had come to get me before I noted. While it was nice to watch him walking in front of me, I liked this better, having him at my side where we could chat or just look at one another as we walked. I wished I could grab his arm, but unfortunately unless I wanted to roll into a wall both of my hands were needed.

He must have felt a similar want, because he inquired carefully. "May I rest my arm around your shoulders?" I knew that if I told him no, he would follow that with no hard feelings, but I wanted his touch to my shock. I nodded my agreement, the feeling of his arm sliding around my shoulders to rest behind my head sent pleasant warmth rushing through my veins. I felt pleasantly drowsy for the entire walk to the car.

He smiled down at me before opening the car door and helping me in. I watched in the mirror as he folded my chair into the backseat before rounding the car to the driver's side.

I was glad it would only be us tonight, it would feel awkward if someone else had been driving and privy to anything we said. He reached across the console to squeeze my hand before belting himself in. "It should only take fifteen minutes for us to get there, I called for reservations so they'll be expecting us."

Immediately my nerves flared up, "Reservations? Should I have worn something fancier?" Before I could work myself up, he shook his head while keeping his eyes on the road.

"You look more than fine, this restaurant is a casual setting and you can wear anything you want without being out of place. It was one of the reasons I chose it." Tilting my head in curiosity, I wondered what the other reasons were, but decided not to ask. I leaned back and enjoyed the peaceful quiet until we pulled up to a small but tastefully decorated building. In what seemed like a blink, Maximus stood outside of my door with my chair below me. I would never know how he moved so fast, but right now I didn't care.

After sliding down into the chair, we moved to the entrance. Relief strafed through me at the sight of the handicap ramp, I had been worried about that. Not many people thought about such things, but it was impossible for me not to. I wasn't sure if Maximus had known it was there or I had gotten lucky, but I supposed it didn't matter. I would just be happy it was there.

Once inside, we were seated almost immediately. The inside's decorations were nothing compared to the view out the window. Our table looked over a beautiful pond that was frozen currently, the ice only adding to the ethereal feeling of the scene.

When it came time to order, I quickly realized I didn't know how to read Romanian and that was a problem. Before I could ask Maximus what he the dishes were, he spoke. "None of the restaurants have English menus but I figured I could read them out for you. Are there any vegetables or meat you don't like?"

And so the evening went, with Maximus and I exchanging questions about each other's lives around eating bites of food. Whatever it was he had ordered for me was great, and I made a mental note to ask later what the dish was so I could make it when I went home.

At some point our hands had come together on top of the table. The feel of his fingers stroking along mine sent flashes of warmth down my arm before settling in my chest. Everything was perfect, the atmosphere was quiet and serene, the food was great and the company was phenomenal. It all felt like a dream so much that I pinched myself lightly under the table just to be sure.

My bladder chose that moment to alert me to my needing to empty it, so after excusing myself I wheeled to the restroom. After finishing my business, one of the wait staff stopped to chat with me. "You are the one who came with the _voivode's_ guard, yes? You are very lucky to have such a fine man, he called earlier to ensure that all of the amenities were suited to your needs. Once he heard of the table with the view, he reserved it. It must be nice to have such caring man as date." She spoke in heavily accented English and her tone was wistful. I felt a swell of affection at the knowledge of how much thought Maximus had put into their date.

"Yes, he's amazing and he's everything I'm not used to dealing with. It's a pleasant change, that's for sure." The waitress nodded in understanding.

"You must meet many bad types, I'm glad he's yours." I went to correct her that he wasn't mine _yet_, although the thought of him being mine certainly sounded great, but she was already breezing away to serve another table.

I was still pleasantly warm when I pulled back up to our table and Maximus took my hand again. "Would you like dessert? If you prefer we could go for a walk in the park nearby, they have a better view of the pond and it makes a beautiful sight up close."

The thought of seeing that gorgeous pond up close easily won out over the promise of dessert. "Definitely the pond, just between you and me? While the food was great, I think your cookies from before would be better than anything they could serve here." Maximus beamed at the praise, his dimples making an appearance.

"Then I'll be sure to make them again soon for you." I squeezed his hand in gratitude, feeling as if I was floating when we breezed down the path to the pond. His arm was back around my shoulders and it was taking all of my willpower to not lean my head against his side.

When we pulled up to the pond, I felt momentarily disappointed that the walk was over, but it was replaced by awe when I took in the fantastic scene in front of me in. Maximus had been right, the scene was something straight out of a book. The snow was dusted on top of all the tree branches and the pond completed the picture of a perfect winter Christmas card.

I breathed out in amazement, "It's beautiful." The puff of my breath alerting me to the fact I had said that out loud.

Maximus squeezed my shoulder, tugging me closer to his side before replying. "Yes, beautiful." Dimly, I felt him staring at me and my cheeks flushed hotly. Oh that was cheesy, but for some reason it still sent a spark of pleasure through me. Who cares if it was cheesy? He sounded like he meant it and that was all that mattered.

A longing wrapped around my heart, glancing up into his eyes I found myself wanting to tug him down to my level. I wanted to be in his arms, curled against his chest and maybe, if I was feeling particularly daring, to feel his lips on mine.

I glanced at his mouth, wetting my own lips without thought. Would his kiss be gentle like he had been so far? Or would it be insistent and rough? His eyes flicked to watch as my tongue slid over my lower lip, the moon glinted off his irises like a cat's as he took a deep breath.

Leaning down until our faces were inches apart, I felt his breath brush my cheek as he spoke. "Zelda, may I-" He stopped, his body stiffening as his head snapped up. The sudden movement halting what I was hoping would have been a kiss, to my disappointment. Before I could ask what was wrong, he put his finger over my lips. "Shh, I thought I heard something."

Immediately, my nerves set on edge. He was a trained guard so I would trust his senses over my own. Was someone going to try to mug us? I felt dread at the thought, while Maximus was trained he was still human and entirely killable.

As my breathing started to pick up and my head started to cloud with fear, a blur of motion lunged out of the trees at us. I felt a scream build in my throat as the form was yanked to a halt less than a foot in front of my face.

A face I would have called handsome if it weren't twisted into a scowl greeted me, but the scowl wasn't what made my heart sink to my shoes. It was his eyes, they were glowing green…

I love cliffhangers :D


	7. Chapter 7

You guys, if anyone is reading this, know what to do. Read and Review with thoughts and opinions. No flames.

The air froze in my lungs as I tried to take in this new information. People's eyes didn't glow green and they certainly didn't move with that kind of speed. And yet, this man had both of those features. Before my next blink, the man whirled on Maximus who I just now noticed had been holding him back from attacking me.

A sick feeling gripped my stomach as another thought came to me, how had _Maximus _moved that fast? My head spun as the man was thrown forcibly back into the tree I had previously admired. The bark splintered and dented with the force behind the throw.

My mind screeched in denial as I watched Maximus advance on my attacker, that kind of strength wasn't possible! However, before I could even begin to try to logically analyze the situation, the man lunged forward and bit deeply into Maximus's shoulder. Blood rushed to the surface as Maximus let out a grunt.

I let out a choked scream when the man viciously shook his head as if trying to rip a chunk off of Maximus's shoulder. The scream died in my throat when Maximus's eyes glowed an eerie green to match our attackers. Terror gripped me as one thought came clearly, _He isn't human._

Dimly, I felt myself shaking but I couldn't focus on anything other than my date, my date who wasn't _human._ It felt impossible, ridiculous to even contemplate, but there was no other explanation. He had unnatural strength, his speed was just a blur to my eyes and his eyes glowed. While I had no clue what he was, human wasn't it.

The fight was over almost as soon as it began. Maximus yanked a blade out seemingly nowhere and shoved it into the man's chest. My stomach lurched a final time as the man's body started to _shrivel_. I barely had the time to shift over the arm of my chair before I lost the contents of my stomach.

I heard Maximus curse, but I stayed bent over my chair as my stomach demanded I heave up every last drop of its contents. When I could focus past the awful taste in my mouth, I realized that hands were holding back my hair and stroking my back. Instinctually I jerked away from the touch, my voice came out broken and raw when I snapped. "Don't touch me!"

The hands disappeared so fast it made my head spin, the thought of _not human, not human, not human! _Repeating endlessly. My head pounded as my breathing increased to a dangerous rhythm. Before I could even think to breathe normally, I felt the onslaught of an attack start and I could tell this one was going to be ugly.

I sucked air into my lungs desperately, feeling as if I was suffocating despite logically knowing I was making it worse. My hands shook before I gripped the arm of my chair in an attempt to ground myself. Maximus's voice broke through my panic, I was too far gone to understand him but when I lifted my head I met his pained gaze.

He looked beyond worried, his hands half raised but obeying my command to not touch me despite the tips of his fingers twitching to do so. This time when he spoke, I understood him through my blind fear. "Zelda, I know this must be terrifying for you, but I can explain all of this. However, you need to calm down. If you don't want me to touch you again I won't, but you need to slow your breathing down. Can you breathe with me?"

The part of me that was still scared wanted to snap at him to stay far away from me, but something in his eyes stopped me. The previous happiness from not thirty minutes before was replaced by a gut wrenching pain, as if someone had taken his hope and shredded it into tiny pieces in front of him. The stormy eyes seemed to beg me to listen, to not reject him, so despite my fear demanding me to wheel myself in the other direction as fast as I could, I stayed.

I still couldn't think clearly enough to speak, but I nodded and was immediately rewarded with his relief. He moved to stand next to me while still not touching, "Okay, just breathe with me. Two in and one out." And so the minutes passed with me copying his breathing until I felt the worst of the panic die down and I could think again.

Immediately, questions began bombarding my mind one after the other with no pauses in between. What was he? Why had he taken the time to calm me down? Who was the man that attacked us and why? My head span from all the questions and I gripped it as a headache pierced my skull.

Forcing my eyes to his, I asked the first question that came to mind. "What _are_ you?" Maximus grimaced, his hands fisting at his sides.

"I will explain what I am in detail later, but we need to get back to the castle now. I don't know if this was part of a plot to kidnap you and there are more enemies nearby or if it was a one off. We aren't safe here."

I couldn't stop myself from snapping, "And I'm safe with you?" My fear making the question drip with sarcasm. His face twisted in pain, the sight tugging on my heart before I stuffed my emotions back, now was not the time.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but _please_ cooperate with me. I can explain some of it on the way back but we need to move." I didn't like knowing that I put that pain in his eyes, but the thought of getting into a car with him while I didn't even know _what_ he was didn't sit right with me.

His hand's twitching increased as desperation added itself to the cocktail of emotions I could see on his face. "Zelda, I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to believe that, if nothing else. I haven't done anything you haven't wanted since we met, I've stayed inside any boundary you've given me, and that was before you knew what I was. Nothing has changed, I'm still me. You just know more about me now."

His voice pleaded with me to not push him away, to not reject him for whatever he was. Biting my lip, I shivered as the cold bit through my blouse. He had a point, he could have hurt me at anytime if he wanted to. He could have walked away when I started to panic, but he stayed because he was worried about me. That should count for something.

"I don't know what to believe right now, I don't even know what you are, but do you promise to tell me everything when we get back to the house?" He nodded, relief showing plainly at my grudging acceptance.

"Just as soon as we get back, I'll tell you everything. But first I need to get you to safety and inform Vlad about this." I nodded, slowly moving to follow him as he gestured back toward the car while giving me a wide berth. Once we were settled into the seats and on our way, I leaned against the car door and wondered. _Just what have I gotten myself into?_

The surprises didn't stop coming when we reached the house, "You're all vampires?" If I sounded anymore incredulous my eyes would roll out of my head. Leila grimaced across from me, but nodded. We were sitting in the same room we had been in before, but now there was different tension to the air.

I was having difficulties swallowing this new information, supposedly not only was Maximus a fabled creature of the night, but so were both my sister and her husband. And pretty much everyone else in this place. My head throbbed as I took it all in, even as a part of me tried to find any other explanation I knew that what she was saying was true. _Humans_ didn't have the strength and speed I saw Maximus use by the pond, which means that he wasn't human. Did it really matter what kind of species he was?

Vlad stood behind the couch, his eyes intently staring at me as I tried to comprehend all of it. His hands hadn't left Leila's shoulders since we had all sat down. The thought that my reactions could potentially hurt her sat like lead in my stomach. I hadn't gotten much time to talk to her yet, and this new information was terrifying to say the least, but as I remembered how excited she had been to hear about how my date would go and her helping me get ready so happily, I couldn't bring myself to hurt her feelings on purpose.

If I stayed here while I went over everything I would probably say or do something insensitive, in the hopes of avoiding that I spoke up. "This is a lot to take in, can I please go back to my room to think it over before I even try to come up with questions for you?"

Leila sagged with relief, furthering proving my decision was a good one, I would have felt guilty beyond belief if I had snapped at her from misguided stress. I noticed Vlad seemed to relax slightly as well, again I felt glad Leila had him. If my brief meeting with our father was anything like how he treated her then she would need all the love and support she could get. Leila's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Of course you can, I know that everything is stressful and it's terrifying to suddenly have your world flipped on its head. I'll be here when you want talk, I can answer any questions you have. Just have Maximus come and get me or bring you to me."

The mention of Maximus made me partially turn to where he lurked near the doorway. He hadn't moved since he had finished explaining the situation to Vlad. His eyes were trained on me, and they held the same exhausted resignation as they had in the park.

Speaking up before I lost my nerve, I turned back to Leila. "I need to discuss some things with Maximus later and most of my questions will probably be answered in that talk, but I would appreciate it if I could bring any other ones to you?"

Her eyes softened in understanding, she nodded her acceptance with no hurt in her gaze, to my relief. I moved to roll away only to stop when she shifted her arm out in the invitation for a hug. I could tell she was unsure where we stood again and while I felt like my skin was crawling with nerves I accepted the hug. I didn't let her hold on as long as before, but even the few seconds she did was difficult for me to hold still for. She must have sensed that, because she pulled back without hesitation.

Vlad's voice directed my attention away from her, "If you choose, I could remove the memory of what we are from your mind. You would keep everything else and you could still visit with my wife, but you wouldn't have the burden of this knowledge." He stood behind Leila, his eyes had lost some of their previous sharpness but were still intense when they looked at me.

I almost accepted his offer, the fear was overwhelming when faced with all the things I didn't know about the world I lived in, but I stopped myself. I glanced at Leila, who looked both hopeful and wary, and then to Maximus who had dropped his eyes to the floor, apparently already accepting my soon to be memory loss.

I couldn't do that to them, if I let Vlad erase my memory then I would be rejecting a major part of who they were. I wouldn't even know about my rejection, but they would and it would hurt them. "No, I appreciate the offer, but I want to keep my memories, all of them."

Maximus's head swiveled up to look at me, the previous downtrodden look disappearing behind a mixture of surprise and hope. I had to look away, the hope pulled on something in my chest that was too much to think on right now with everything else already on my mind.

I quickly made my exit before anyone could say or do anything to add to my already overwhelmed state. I only released a sigh of relief when I rolled into my room and shut the door. Now I could stop and try to figure this mess out…  
_

It took the better part of three hours for me to calm down and analyse all of the new information, but by the end of that time I was moderately confident that I could speak rationally with Maximus. I had plenty of questions and we still had to have a very important conversation, I've learned that it is easier to do difficult things quickly so they were out of my way.

Rolling to the door, I peaked out into the hallway and called out. "Maximus?" I could barely count to three before his form blurred into focus in front of me. I was reminded of how quickly he caught me the night in the kitchen, I had written it off to reflexes then but I knew better now.

His face was carefully neutral as he stared at me, "Yes?" Even though his face gave no indication of what he was feeling, his eyes were as expressive as ever. They sparked with nerves and a wariness I wanted to wipe away, but before I could even think about that we needed to have a talk.

"Can we talk? We have a lot to discuss and I have loads of questions." He nodded, following behind me as I reentered the room. I fiddled with my hands as I put my words together and decided where I wanted to start.

"First, I want to thank you for staying to calm me down in the park. No one has ever bothered to stay to help me through an attack like that before and it really helped." He blinked, the only sign he gave that I had surprised him.

He tilted his head up with his eyes never leaving mine, his voice the same low caress as before. "Of course I stayed, I care too much for you to leave you in such a state. Especially considering I was partially responsible for your fear."

I smiled with no humor, "Well you did more than anyone else in my family has and I appreciate it." Losing my smile, I stared at him as I thought on my next words. "You really do care, don't you?"

He nods as his mouth twists sardonically, "If that isn't obvious by now then I'm going about this completely wrong." The attempt at humor pushed a weak chuckle from my lungs.

Even though his answer amused me, it confused me just as much. "But why? I'm nothing special, when you add in my emotional baggage most people would say I'm several miles below average." My voice was tinged with bitter pain as memories of various friends and family members words echoed back to me.

Maximus's eyes hardened as determination replaced his wariness. "Most people are idiots and can't see past their cocks. Nothing about you is anywhere near below average. You're beautiful inside and out, and if you would give me the chance I would like nothing more than to show you how you should be treated."

His eyes never left mine, as if he believed staring long and hard enough would convince me of his truthfulness. His frame was tensed as if expecting a blow. _Maybe, he was expecting a hit, an emotional one. _I closed my eyes, but I could still feel his gaze on me. I didn't know anything about him, besides him being a vampire, but I could fix that…

Opening my eyes, I made my decision. "Before the interruption, I was having a great time with you on our date and you're no different now than you were then. You haven't given me any reason to not trust you and I feel safe when I'm with you. I want to see where this goes, but you have to promise me that there are no more secrets. I can't be in a relationship with you if it means always wondering what else there is I don't know."

Maximus stared in disbelief, he hadn't dared to hope after how their date had gone that she would be willing to further their relationship. When he spoke, conviction range clearly in his voice, "I swear by my blood that I will hide nothing from you in regards to our relationship."

Before my next blink, he had a blade in his hand and dragged it across his palm. Jerking forward with a cry of surprise, I latched onto the arm with the knife. "What the hell are you doing?!"

A slow smile curled on his face, as if me stopping him from maiming himself were such a great deed. "Vampire's swear on our blood, it binds us to our promise. With this, my promise is bound in my blood and I will carry it out."

Shaking my head as the adrenaline rush drained out of me, I sat back and released his arm. "Next time say that first, I thought I was going to have to stop you from jamming that into your chest."

He chuckled, but nodded his agreement. The knife disappeared into his coat again and he turned to face me. His face was expectant and it took a minute for me to remember what we had been discussing before my heart attack.

"I've never done the whole dating thing with any degree of success, so you're going to need to walk me through it. What all does it entail?" I hated how unsure my voice was, but this was one of the most important questions I had before we started a relationship in earnest.

His face brightened, "I would take you on dates as often as my schedule allows and get to know you better. I enjoy spending time with you and would like to see where our relationship goes."

A smile pulled at my mouth, "You don't need to take me out on dates all the time. I enjoyed when we went out, but I liked baking cookies with you just as much." Although the idea of going out again without the big secret between them sounded divine in its own right.

"I know that and I figured some of our dates could be here on days you would prefer to be alone. I can bake more than cookies, after all, and I intend to show you every aspect of my talents." His smile was warm with promise of happiness, but his words and their double meaning brought my attention to another issue we had to discuss, but this one was much less pleasant.

"If we're seriously going to try this, then there's something you need to know before we get too far. I can't…do certain things, intimate things, thanks to the attack that took my legs. If you want me to talk about it I can, but I won't go into details. It's still too painful." After telling Leila, I was confident I could tell Maximus with no problems, but the idea of going into details was enough to make me queasy.

Stepping forward, Maximus sat on the bed next to me to be closer in height. His hand hovered over mine but didn't take it. I suddenly remembered my command in the clearing, I had told him not to touch me and he hadn't since. He was still abiding by that, even hours later. Warmth spread through my chest as I carefully linked our hands. His next words further cemented my belief I had made the right choice to trust him.

"If you feel like talking about it then I'm here to listen, but if you don't want to don't make yourself. You don't need to tell me why you don't want something, just let me know what not to do." Oh how I had craved to hear that sentence over the past few years!

His reassurance that he would follow any of my boundaries without needing explanation is what made me tell him. It came easier this time, it still hurt to remember the humiliation and pain of Lance's treatment of me, but it was also freeing. It had hurt when I tried to tell people before about my situation only to be brushed off as lying for attention. I knew that Maximus would never do such a thing and it was a nice feeling, that assuredness.

By the end of it, my hands shook in his but my eyes were dry. When I raised my gaze to his I jerked back at the brilliant glowing green that met me. He closed them immediately, taking my reaction the wrong way. Before he could pull back further, I cupped his jaws and soothed. "I was just surprised, I'm not used to your eyes yet but give me time and I will be. Can you open them for me?"

He seemed reluctant, but slowly he lifted his lids to reveal the same glowing green. This time I took my time examining him, the green wasn't disturbing once I was expecting it. I would even go so far to say it looked striking on him.

My new calmer examination seemed to wipe the wariness from him, my next words made a smile tug at his lips. "I think I prefer the grey, but this is interesting too."

His hands came up to cover mine, his fingers ghosting over the backs of my hands as he calmed down. After a moment, the green subsided into a thin ring around his irises. "Apologies, but hearing what that meat bag did to you kicked every instinct I have as a vampire into high gear."

Curiosity poked at me, but I pushed it back to be addressed later. All questions about the details of his species could be handled later, right now I needed to focus on the relationship questions so they were all out of the way. "Don't apologize, I appreciate your reaction. It just shows that you care and I could use some more of that in my life."

Taking a fortifying breath I pushed on, wanting this subject to be done so we could move on to better ones. "Could you be happy in a relationship with me, with no promises of when or if we'll ever have sex?"

Maximus's eyes stared intently into my own, he gently brought my hands to his lap before intertwining our fingers. "I am an almost millennia old Templar Knight and in the time I've lived I have learned a great many things. One of those is that physical pleasure, while nice, doesn't hold a candle to having someone who cares about you as a person waiting for you at home, metaphorically speaking. I have been used as an instrument of pleasure before and I can say with full confidence that it isn't satisfying. Over the centuries I have watched various friends meet their chosen partners and fall in love, all the while never receiving a second glance past the bedroom myself. Even if you were to decide to never lay with me in a sexual way, I would be happier lying by your side knowing that you care about me as a person than I ever could be lying next to someone else who only cares what I can do for them."

I nearly choked on air when he said his age, barely recovering enough to listen to the rest of his words. What he was saying was what I had ached to hear ever since my injury, it all seemed too perfect… Taking another breath, I continued with my questions. "What would you want out of our relationship?" We had already covered that sex was off the table for an unknown amount of time, possibly forever, so what did that leave him?

His voice is rock steady when he answers, not a wobble or hint of doubt. "All I want is to call you mine and remain by your side, in any way that you'll allow, for as long as you'll permit it."

_That can't be all he wants, can it? _ My disbelief must have shown on my face because he continued on. "Zelda, you may not believe this but I care for you, more than normal for someone I only just met true, but I would like nothing more than to be by your side. No strings attached and no expectations needed."

That sounded divine, in the past the idea of relationships was terrifying because of all the doubts and responsibilities surrounding them. _What if I fail? What if I don't do something right?_ What he was describing would circumvent all of those problems.

Feeling my confidence build and my hope climb, I decided to go all in. He deserves to know what he is getting into with me. "All I know about sex is that it's uncomfortable at best and painful at worst." Maximus's face darkened at my declaration, rage flickering below the surface, but I didn't flinch. I knew that rage wasn't meant for me. "That's because you have never had sex, you've only been raped."

His blunt words made me flinch but his hands stroked mine to calm my nerves before he continued.

"If sex is painful then your partner isn't doing it right. Pain is a result of not taking the time you should to prepare your partner and arouse them enough for them to be properly ready to receive you. The wetter and looser you are, the better it will feel and if your partner is unwilling to be patient and wait until you're ready then he has no business being between any woman's legs, least of all yours." His voice rang with his belief in what he was saying, making something in my chest twist. I had no doubts that he was genuine in his interest and his next words made pleasant shivers work through my body.

"When done correctly, sex is a very pleasurable thing and not just for the man. Should you ever wish to explore it, I will be more than happy to show you everything the activity has to offer you." Maximus smiled at my shiver, his words sparking a long dead fire in me, but made no other moves, knowing with this topic he had to be careful.

If I had any left over worries he swept them aside when he continued. "I have a simple set of rules for any person I take into my bed. First and foremost, all participants must be willing and clear minded. That is the single most important rule. Next, the words no or stop will always be headed. One word from you ends it, it doesn't matter where in the act we are, and there will be no hard feelings. If my partner isn't enjoying what we are doing, then neither am I. Last but not least, I will never ask you for anything that I would not allow to be done to myself first. If I wouldn't enjoy it, why would I think you would?"

By the time he finished I was almost completely sold. His rules sounded perfect, making tears of longing claw at my eyes. How long had I wanted this? A man that understood and respected my boundaries without scorn over me having them in the first place. His next words made my decision for me. "If we ever do anything of a sexual nature, you will be leading and I guarantee you will feel nothing but pleasure."

The use of the word if, his vocal acknowledgement that we very well might not have sex but it was entirely up to me, made my heart thrum. Squeezing the hand that was still interlocked with my own, I smiled genuinely up at him. "Okay, then we're trying this."

Maximus beamed down at me, happy to finally have a chance at what his oldest friend had. "You won't regret it, I'll be sure of it."

I nodded, deep down I knew he was speaking the truth. I wouldn't regret this, no matter how it turned out. Looking again at our hands, I swallowed back my nerves before wrapping my arms around his waist in a hug. The angle was awkward with me having to lift my arms and twist in my chair to reach him, but the warmth I felt was worth it.

When I pulled back Maximus stared at me, his eyes had the barest flash of green in them. He stroked my hands, the contact sending small jolts of feeling up to my chest, as he tentatively questioned. "If you'd permit, I have an easier way of doing that where you won't have to twist so much."

His hand left my own to brush under my knee, making his idea obvious. I swallowed hard, we had already covered that his touch wasn't terrifying, but how close could he get to my injury without me having a reaction? I wouldn't have a problem with being in his lap, I don't think, but there was only one way to find out…

Pulling in a fortifying breath, I nodded. He smiled, the sight immediately relaxing me. This was Maximus, if the touch was too much for me then he'd put me back in my chair. No reason to worry.

His movements were slow, giving me plenty of time to change my mind, as he slid his arm under my knees while the other cradled my shoulders. If he didn't have advanced strength I would be nervous about him transferring me at such a bad angle, but with the knowledge I had I knew he would never drop me.

It only took a second for him to pull me up and situate me on his lap. His arms loosened until they felt like a shield between me and the outside world. Turning carefully, having to manually shift my legs to the side, I looked into his eyes and marveled at not having to crane my head. I ghosted my hands over his face, tracing his light stubble as I dragged them across his jaw.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my hands coming to rest on the muscles of his back that I had been admiring the previous night, as I leaned my cheek against his shoulder. I heard and felt the whoosh of air leave him, the breath flowing down my neck causing a shiver down my spine. His chin rested on my head as he breathed in the feelings I could practically see in the air. His arms tightened, not enough to be painful or caging but enough to feel him wrapped around me.

This was completely different than before when I let Leila hug me, while it was nice I had still felt the itching across my skin, but now that was gone. In its place was a warmth that seemed to overtake everything else.

We could have sat there for minutes, hours or days. I wasn't sure how much time was passing and I didn't care. This was the best I had felt in over three months and I was relishing it. When his arms loosened around my back, I pulled away enough to see his face. His eyes had no trace of green left, but they seemed even more intense than when they had been glowing.

When he spoke it was in a quiet voice, as if he didn't want to break the moment. "Is this okay?"

The fact that he thought to ask made me happy and I answered truthfully while cuddling closer into his neck. "Usually, I don't like anyone touching me. It doesn't matter where or how gently they do so, it makes my skin crawl, but you're different. Not only do I not mind your touch, I actually want it. As long as you keep away from the breast and groin areas I think we'll be fine. If I learn about any other problem areas I'll tell you."

Maximus nodded, his hands stroking up and down my back, the rhythmic motion almost putting me to sleep. His voice pulled my focus back to him, "Are there any other boundaries besides the obvious I should know about? Where do you stand on kisses?"

I tilted my head in thought, I had never given much thought to kisses until recently. To be fair I hadn't had anyone I was interested in kissing until now and whenever Lance forced his affections on me it had always felt violating.

I forced myself away from those thoughts, _This is Maximus, he's different._ I looked at him, taking in every detail of his face. My hand came back up to his jaw as I stroked it in thought. There was an easy way of finding out if I liked kisses. I moved forward, noticing his eyes widening momentarily before lowering to half drawn.

I hovered over his mouth, feeling a flash of uncertainty before shaking it off. Marshalling my courage, I brushed our mouths together, not putting enough pressure behind it to be considered a kiss. It was a tester to see how I would react and so far, besides a slowly building want to pull him closer, there was no reaction.

Taking that as a positive thing, I closed the distance between our lips. He wasn't warm, but that was normal considering his not beating heart. He wasn't rough, or forceful, not that I really expected him to be. His tongue stayed in his mouth and his lips were closed. Unlike my past experience of forceful entry and a sickening slimy feeling, this felt...nice.

There were no fireworks in the background, but there was a warmth that felt like it was bubbling in my chest. I liked the warmth better anyway, fireworks are too loud in my opinion, this feeling suits me much better.

When I pulled away an unknown amount of time later, I took stock of my emotions. Still no negative feelings, no fear and no revulsion. Good.

Glancing at Maximus, I let out a small laugh at his giant grin. My mouth twisted to match as the new but completely welcome feelings swirled around both of us. I felt drunk on it, but entirely clear headed. Dropping my arms to wrap around his chest again, I addressed his previous question. "That was very nice and I'd like to do that a lot more, but nothing more intense than that for now."

Maximus agreed easily, his mouth sliding against my cheek before moving up to my forehead. That kiss was the single most innocent action he had ever done with someone and he loved it. If the rest of their relationship was like that, he would be ecstatic with every innocent touch even if it never went further.

They rested together, enjoying the closeness and the other's presence before the clock chiming broke the moment. Maximus sighed, "I should get you to Leila, she may be worried."

I was reluctant to part from him, but I knew he was right. Leila had been nervous last time we talked and it was unfair to leave her in suspense just so I could cuddle for a bit longer. I pulled away, my arms reluctantly returning to my sides as he shifted his hand under me to transfer me back to my chair.

Before he could sit back down, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. My words were a whisper but I knew he would hear them. "Maybe we could do more of this after I finish talking with her?"

He returned the hug, nodding quickly against my shoulder. When we finally separated, I re-situated myself in my chair before following him to the door.

Read and Review, let me know if anybody is out there.


	8. Chapter 8

Alrighty guys things start to really get going in this one, their relationship is kicking off and Zelda gets her first challenge of their relationship.

The talk with Leila took considerably longer than I had thought, but by the end of it all of my questions regarding vampires had been answered. The questions she couldn't answer, Vlad could.

Unfortunately, thanks to the attempt to either kill or kidnap me, I would be staying for longer than my planned week or two. While I liked the thought of having more time with my sister and Maximus, I wasn't thrilled about the reason behind it. Still, it was better than Vlad's enemies capturing me, so I would do my best to grin and bare it.

Vlad has ordered Maximus to go with me tomorrow to get anything I would need from my house, which was a relief. I wasn't comfortable with being on a plane with anyone else for those many hours, with the person being him I may actually enjoy the flight.

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I wheeled toward my room. I didn't have an escort since it was the only room I could remember the path to. When I finally pulled up to my door, I felt just how exhausted I was. My arms ached from all the moving I'd done today and I was ready to fall asleep in my chair. It wouldn't be the first time I had done that, but I was determined to make it to the bed before crashing.

Before I could get the door, Maximus came out from his room. While I was happy to see him again, I didn't have the energy to stay awake for much longer. Was it too soon to ask him to share a bed with me? Would I be okay with it if he did?

My exhaustion must have been plain to see because he smiled in understanding, "You look exhausted, how about we move our previous plans to tomorrow?" Relief and gratitude mixed in me as I nodded.

"Thanks, I appreciate it a lot." I grabbed his hand when he came close enough and tugged to get him down to my level.

Once the distance closed to only a foot, I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his chest. This was going to be my new favorite place in no time. His arms curled behind me, the feeling more reassuring than trapping as it usually felt.

When I felt myself drifting off against his front, I forced myself to pull back. "As much as I enjoy this, I'm literally falling asleep on you." He stepped back with another smile of understanding.

"It's fine, we have all of tomorrow on the plane ride to your home and then the trip back. You need your rest. Good night." He dropped a kiss to my head before going back into his room. The spot he kissed tingled as I lugged myself into my room.

I didn't even bother changing, choosing instead to shuck my shirt and sleep in my bra and pants, before clumsily transferring to the bed. When my head hit the pillow I was asleep within two minutes, a new record for me.

_

It was only two hours later when I snapped out of a nightmare, my mouth open in a silent scream. I briefly felt thankful I hadn't made a sound, but that disappeared under the torrent of sickening disgust and terror.

I was hoping that my new relationship would dial back the nightmares, but apparently not. I lurched out of bed when I felt the panic getting worse, barely making it into my chair in my haste to move. I rolled to the light and slammed it on, feeling a mild relief when the shadows of the room disappeared.

I knew that it wouldn't completely disappear until I had moved around a bit, but with Maximus's advanced hearing it was entirely possible that I would wake him if I did that. Frustration built as tears pooled in my eyes, what should I do? I wasn't going to go back to sleep like this, but I didn't want to wake up Maximus…

Biting my lip, I glanced at the door again. Maybe Maximus wouldn't mind me waking him up, if he was even asleep at all. Leila had said they didn't get much sleep, but with my luck this would be when he chose to nap.

Maybe I could go to his room, if he was awake he would hear me opening my door and probably come out like he had last night. If he was asleep he wouldn't and that way I wouldn't have to worry about waking him up or not. If he turned out to be asleep I would come back in here and look up cute animal videos or something to try to calm down…

Nodding to myself, I powered through my door until I sat in front of his room. I waited for a second, only to feel disappointed when his door didn't open. I turned to go back to my room only to jump when I heard the door opening behind me.

Maximus's hair was in disarray, but his eyes were sharp with alertness. "Zelda, is everything alright?" Even his voice had a rumble to it, apparently I had woken him. Feeling both relief that I wasn't alone and remorse that I had woken him, I chewed my lip.

I didn't get the chance to apologize or explain, his eyes softened with understanding before he reached forward to pull my lip from between my teeth. It was only then I noticed I was bleeding. His hand stroked my cheek, the feeling making me lean into him like a cat before his voice snapped me back to the present.

"Another nightmare?" His tone held no judgement, but I still looked away in shame. He was going to think I'm psychotic at this rate. His hand gently turned my face back to him before he continued, "There's nothing to be ashamed of in having nightmares. I have many myself. Would you like to go to the kitchen again or maybe for a walk in the indoor gardens?"

Either option sounded great, but I knew we both needed to be up in a few hours if we wanted to get to North Carolina at a reasonable time. I probably wouldn't get anymore sleep tonight, but that didn't mean he couldn't.

"That sounds great, but we shouldn't. We have to be up in a few hours and I shouldn't have woken you in the first place. I'll just-" Feeling embarrassed for waking him up for nothing, I went to wheel around only for his hand on my arm to stop me.

Grey eyes bore into my own, not a hint of irritation or exasperation in them. "I need less sleep than you do and we can catch up on any rest we need on the trip over there. You need me now, so you have me. If you want I can sit next to your bed while you try to sleep again if you're that worried about getting more rest?"

The idea didn't panic me like I thought it would, but I refused to make him sit in an uncomfortable chair next to my bed just so I could sleep. I had to clear my throat twice before I could speak clearly, "Or we could share a bed?" It sounded hesitant even to my ears and I was already regretting offering it. I liked the thought of sharing a bed with him, but would he think it's weird? My mother always said she got uncomfortable seeing me maneuvering my legs while I had been in the hospital…

Maximus's eyes widened momentarily before a smile pulled at his lips. "That sounds much better, but only if you're sure." I didn't bother adding that it would only be sleep, after the lengthy discussion we had about my fear of sex I knew he wouldn't try anything.

I nodded, before a thought occurred to me, "Would you prefer your bed or mine?" Mine would be easier for me, but since I was asking the favor of him I would work with whatever he chose.

He must have come to the same conclusion, "Yours would be better, just give me a second to put a shirt on." It hadn't even registered that he was shirtless until he mentioned it. My nightmare must have shaken me more than I had thought. I was almost tempted to tell him it wasn't necessary but it would be better for the first time we tried this for him to be fully clothed.

And with that line of thought, I remembered that I was in only a bra. A flush immediately crawled up my cheeks, whether it was from seeing him shirtless or the knowledge that I could have just accidentally given quite a few people a show I wasn't sure. "That's fine, I should probably do the same…" It came out as a mumble but his low chuckle told me he heard it.

"I wouldn't mind if you preferred to sleep in your bra, but whatever makes you comfortable." With that he retreated into his room for the aforementioned shirt, only taking a few seconds before he reappeared at the door.

"Should I wait outside for you to get dressed?" His question was appreciated but considering he had already seen me in my bra, I didn't think making him wait outside was necessary.

"It's fine, I'm putting on more clothes not taking any off after all." His hand came down to slide around my shoulder, his touch banishing the old feeling of hands gripping me harshly. I leaned my head against his arm, "Thanks for this, I wasn't sure if you would think basically having a sleep over with me was weird or not."

Maximus gently closed the door behind us, before turning to me with a serious expression on his face. "I would prefer to have you fully clothed in my arms for a few hours than to have you naked beside me for a few seconds. You aren't ready for anything else and I like holding you, so don't worry about asking for this in the future. If you have no problem with it, I can guarantee I will enjoy it."

I felt a knot form at the back of my throat, forcing me to cough to clear it before I tried to speak again. "I'm glad, if earlier was any indication I probably won't have a problem with it, but if I do I'll let you know. Maybe we could do this more often if it goes well?"

He beamed down at me, obviously happy at the thought. It was nice that I wasn't the only one who took joy out of being curled together.

Reminding myself of the shirt I still needed to find and put on, I grimaced when I realised in my previous exhaustion I had thrown it on the ground. Being careful not to over balance myself, I snagged the shirt off the ground before straightening again.

My side twinged in pain at the stretch but I ignored it, choosing to focus on pulling the shirt over my head. When I was dressed again, I turned to see Maximus staring at me with the oddest expression. It was part pain and part anger. While I knew he wouldn't hurt me, his sudden mood shift made me wary. "What's wrong?"

His mouth twisted harshly before he replied, "Your scar…" He hesitated as he put his words together. It suddenly dawned on me that when I bent over I had unintentionally flashed the scar from Lance's final attack on me. Feeling my face burn with embarrassment, I went to tell him that it was fine if he had changed his mind about sleeping with me, only for him to continue speaking.

"The thought that someone could harm you in such a way makes rage boil in me, but I wish more than anything I could have been there to stop it." Shock speared through me, he wasn't disgusted. He was angry that Lance had hurt me and he was sad it happened in the first place. The knowledge twisted my heart in my chest, but I pushed past it to speak.

"There's nothing you can do about that, but I appreciate the thought." In an attempt to cut through the sudden tension in the air, I rolled toward the bed. That snapped Maximus out of his angry state as he moved to stand behind me. I hesitated before transferring, "There is no way to make this look smooth, so consider yourself warned."

His voice stopped me from gripping the chair sides, "I could lift you in, if it bothers you?" Briefly I remembered how nice it had been to be in his arms, he wouldn't have offered if he didn't want to…

"That would be nice, actually. I'm nervous enough already without adding looking like a fool to the list." He wasted no time in moving to stand in front of me, instead of reaching to pick me up he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"You wouldn't look like a fool, even if you fell." He didn't say anything else, choosing to leave that statement for me to think on. His arm brushed under my knees before he lifted me against his chest. It felt odd to be in someone's arms, but as I rested my head against his chest I couldn't say I minded.

He stopped beside the bed, pulling the blankets out before placing me down. He tugged the sheets back over me before walking around to the other side of the bed. Instead of getting under the blankets, like I expected, he laid on top of the sheets before sliding until he was less than a foot away from me.

I only hesitated a minute before reaching down to maneuver my legs across the bed, rolling onto my side to face him as I watched his reaction. No disgust or discomfort showed, instead he intertwined our hands before letting them fall between us. His fingers stroked along my knuckles, the motion soothing any leftover nerves I had.

"Can you move closer?" I would, but it was easier for him to. My mother's previous words about how odd it looked for me to move my legs manually rang back through my mind. I had already moved them as much as I had the courage to for tonight. Maximus instantly moved to comply, breaking me out of my thoughts. His body easily shifted across the last foot of space until I could feel his breath on my face.

His arm curled over and around my hip, "Is this okay?" I cuddled into his chest in answer. His hand was resting on the middle of my back, not low enough to make me uncomfortable, and his thumb stroked back and forth as he waited. I could see myself getting used to this…

I closed the last few inches of space between us, wrapping my arm around his back and shifting to rest my head in the hollow of his shoulder. Just as I thought, I didn't feel even slightly nervous. Cuddling into his throat, a silly grin covered my face. I'm having a sleepover with my new boyfriend. I felt the last of the chill from my nightmare leave as Maximus rested his cheek against my head.

My previous fear from my nightmare felt like a distant memory as I started to drift off, a new all encompassing safety blanketing me. "Good night." My voice was barely a whisper against his throat, but I heard him answer before I slipped into sleep. "Sleep well, I'll be here if another nightmare strikes."

The feeling of fingers running through my hair roused me from the most peaceful sleep I've had in ages. Cracking an eye, I hummed in enjoyment when I met Maximus's gaze. I went to shift my arms only to stop when met with resistance. Looking down I bit back a laugh, apparently at some point while asleep we had tangled ourselves together to the point the only limb that was free was his arm that was currently combing through my hair.

"Well that was the best night of sleep I've gotten in awhile. How'd you sleep?" I was grinning at him, the unbridled happiness demanding an outlet which I was all too happy to give. I hadn't been this exuberant in years and I was glad to relish in it.

Maximus smiled back at me, dropping a kiss to my head before continuing. "Better than I have in decades. Usually I would have let you rest, you obviously needed it, but we have a plane to catch."

My drowsiness disappeared in an instant, panic replacing it as I remembered that detail. I tried to lurch up to a sitting position only for Maximus's arm around my waist to stop me. "No need to panic, I woke you up now so we would have time to get ready. We still have an hour."

Relief poured through me, I could take my time to get a shower in before we left. Sitting up slowly this time, Maximus moving his arm to allow it, I leaned against the head board and took in his sleep tousled hair. My fingers twitched to run through it, I had been too sleepy last night to really focus on anything else but now I was wide awake.

"Can I play with your hair?" The question flew out before I could stop it, my face burned as I clapped a hand over my mouth. Before I could take it back, Maximus shifted his head into my lap in answer. He smiled up at me, amused at my reaction and the sudden question.

I huffed at his amusement but ignored it in favor of the opportunity he gave me. My fingers carded through his hair, the strands silky against my fingers. I could faintly hear him hum lowly in enjoyment, the sound sending butterflies flying in my stomach.

We stayed like that for awhile before I sighed, "We should get ready before we do have to rush." Maximus agreed reluctantly, sitting up from his position in my lap.

"As much as I don't like it, I agree. I shall see you within the hour." He pulled me into a kiss that sent another batch of flutters to my stomach before leaving quickly, knowing we would get no where if he didn't. I sighed dreamily, taking a moment to bask in my new feelings before shifting toward my chair. I had to get a shower and get ready, day dreaming about my blonde templar had to wait until later.

See? Aren't they cute? Well read and review as always!


	9. Chapter 9

Once I finished getting ready I set out to find Maximus. He said he would see me, but hadn't mentioned where he wanted to meet. I could just wait in my room, but I had the urge to move around and staying still would only drive me insane.

Rolling into the hallway, I remembered Maximus's words about someone always being around to hear if I needed something. I had no idea where he was, but maybe someone on the staff might. Clearing my throat, it took me three tries to get it out. "Hello?"

Before I could count to three, a masculine figure blurred into perspective in front of me. He watched me with pleasant curiosity, "How may I help you?" Thankfully he didn't seem irritated, or I might have just wheeled back into my room from nerves.

"I was wondering if you knew where Maximus is?" I tried to keep my nerves down, but me asking something to a strange man I'd never met was a two hit knock out for my anxiety. The fact that I was asking about my new boyfriend just added extra tension.

Thankfully, the stranger only smiled as if he couldn't scent my nerves from a mile away. "He is in the gym running the other guards through a last minute training demonstration before you two leave. Would you like me to take you to him?"

I nodded, happy to not have to ask anyone else. The man turned, after a glance to make sure I was still following, and led the way. It was painfully silent as we walked, but I had no idea what to say or if I should even say anything. When we stopped outside of a door that must have been the gym, I thanked him politely before making my way inside.

The sight that met me took my breath away. I had kind of seen Maximus fight the other day in the clearing, but this was a whole new level. He met his adversary blow for blow, the moves too quick for my eyes to keep up with. In the next instant, he had the other man pinned beneath him without looking like it took any effort on his part.

After he stood, he gestured for the next guard in line to face their opponent. I watched in fascination as they fought, although they didn't have as much skill as Maximus, they were still a blur to me.

My admiration disappeared when one of the men picked his adversary up and threw him directly at me. I had approximately a second and a half to panic at the form of the airborne vampire heading straight for me before a painful collision knocked the air out of my lungs. And knocked me clear out of my chair.

Dimly I hoped that my chair hadn't broken, it would delay our departure if we had to get it fixed, but most of my attention was on the male now crouched over me and staring down in shock. His eyes were lit up green and his mouth was open in an O of surprise.

Icy terror plunged down my spine at the hulking figure of vampire hovered over me, apparently too shocked at my presence to move. His hands rested on my shoulder and hip, the touch making my stomach turn with warning and my skin itch to get away from him. I tried to wiggle out from under him, but his body caged mine in place.

Memories of a different time I'd been caged in by a bigger body flashed through my mind. My throat felt bone dry as I wheezed out one panicked word through my fear frozen mind. "M-maximus!" It was barely a whisper, it shook with all of my fear and seemed to cut through air but it was heard. In the next second I felt the air shift, a different kind of chill shot up my spine as the emotions of the room changed in a heartbeat.

The man on top of me suddenly cringed, his face blanking to a paler color than I thought even vampires capable of, before he was forcibly ripped off of me. My panic stopped climbing, but it didn't recede either. The phantom feeling of hands on my hips sent my stomach into spins, the urge to find the nearest shower and scrub the skin making itself known.

I fought to keep my breathing under control as I glanced up at the tensed back of my boyfriend, who looked to be partially crouched over me. I could only see part of his face, but what I could see made the previous guard's suddenly pale expression make perfect sense.

The eyes I had previously likened to a calm, rainy day now looked similar to the sharpest of steel. His mouth was twisted into harsh snarl and he never let his gaze trail from the man who now sat completely still a few yards away from us. The guard hadn't moved from where he had been thrown, all his muscles stiff as a statue as he spoke in rapid fire Romania. His expression was frantic and it didn't take a genius to know what he was saying.

Maximus didn't seem moved by what I guessed were his apologies. His body stayed as tense as stone in his position guarding me, and I knew that I would have to speak up if I didn't want that guard to pay dearly for his unfortunate luck.

My side throbbed painfully, whether from the rough landing or the original collision I wasn't sure, but I knew now wasn't the time to think on it. I had a boyfriend to calm down before he maimed an innocent man.

Pushing past the worst of my panic, I gently tugged on his pant leg to get his attention. While nothing in his stance changed, I saw his eyes briefly flicker down to me before returning to the man. He was listening.

"It was an accident, Maximus. Nobody knew that would happen and I'm sure that he is sorry. I'm fine, but I need some help back up into my chair?" The last statement came out as more of a question as uncertainty colored my words. I had never felt like this around a person before, as if I were sitting down with a tiger primed and ready to pounce at the slightest twitch of hostility barely one foot away from me. Idly I noticed the man nodding empathetically along to my saying that he was sorry, poor man. He probably had no idea who I was when he crashed into me before I called out for Maximus. If he had, he probably would have made more of an effort to get off of me.

Thankfully, Maximus's form slowly lost its hostility. He bit out an order in Romanian that had the man dashing away from us in a blur. The other guards quickly followed not two steps behind him without a backward glance.

Once the room was empty except for the two of us, he turned around and righted my chair. He spoke as he examined it for damages. "I apologize for that display. If I had known you were there I would have called a halt to the training. Everyone who lives here knows that when we're training bodies tend to fly, but I forgot to mention it to you."

He nodded in satisfaction at my chair, which I assume meant it was damage free to his standards, before he crouched to my level. His hands hovered near me, but didn't touch. The consideration to my almost panic attack made me smile weakly at him. "I'm fine now, just shaken. I'm sure once I get back into my chair and move around a bit I'll be fine." I reached out and clasped one of his hands to reassure him and to prove that I was really okay.

That seemed to be the last reassurance he had needed. He moved slowly while giving me time to react as his arms slid under my knees and behind my back. The only thing I did was lift my arms to wrap around his neck, to make lifting me easier on him.

In one smooth motion, he had me up off the ground and securely clasped to his chest. Leaning my head against where his shoulder met his neck, I soaked in the pleasant touch. The feeling of phantom hands ebbed away as I focused on the present and on the man holding me.

I hadn't noticed before, but he had changed into a dark navy sweater and slacks. They complimented him beautifully, even more so now that his eyes had gone back to their lightly cloudy state instead of the frozen steel from before.

Maximus sighed, making no move to put me back into my chair but I wasn't complaining. It felt nice to be in his arms after the scare I'd just had. After a minute of enjoying the simple pleasure of being held, I grudgingly nudged him to put me down. "As much as I love this, we still have a plane to catch. That's why I went to find you in the first place, I wasn't sure where we were supposed to meet."

He reluctantly put be down, making sure to set me down in the center of the chair's seat before stepping back. "I was going to meet you at your room, but the guards required a demonstration. However, if you are ready we can leave now."

I didn't have a bag since we would be going to my home to retrieve anything that I couldn't leave there during my extended stay in Romania before coming back, so I was ready when he was. "I'm good to go." When I went to grab my wheels to propel me forward, a sudden sharp pain cut through my side and pulled a hiss from me. My hand clutched the injury as I belatedly remembered the pain after the guard had landed on me. I had forgotten it with all the excitement.

Immediately Maximus's attention was on me, his brow creased with concern. "Zelda, I thought you said you were fine?" His hands gently tugged mine away from the injury and prodded it, the light pressure making me wince but I bit back any noises I would've made otherwise.

"I am fine, it's only bruised a bit. It wouldn't even be a big thing if it weren't for where it is." I couldn't reach for my wheels with where it was, not without pain at least. Maximus must have come to the same conclusion, because he tapped on my shoulder to pull my attention to him before speaking.

"I could give you blood to heal it. A few drops would be more than enough and you wouldn't have to worry about straining it." I bit my lip as I considered his offer, I knew that by giving me his blood he was claiming me for all intents and purposes as his. If it had been anyone else I would refuse, but was there any real harm in being known as Maximus's? I understood that vampires used the term 'property' liberally and didn't mean anything insulting by it. If I took his blood it just meant that I would be further under his protection.

I nodded before I could talk myself out of it, it wasn't like I wanted to feel pain throughout the day anyway. Maximus reached into his coat and drew out a silver knife, making me wonder momentarily where he had hidden that since I couldn't see any loups inside the jacket. He paused before glancing at me, a sly smile curling his lips before he spoke in a dry tone.

"I'm not going to shove this through my chest so you don't need to worry." The statement confused me before I remembered the other day when I had told him to warn me the next time he cut himself. An answering smile pulled across my mouth.

"Smart ass." He knew that I didn't need that warning now and he flashed me a cheeky grin to further prove that. After swiping the blade across his palm, he held his hand out for me to take.

I did, hesitating only a second before powering through my uncertainty. I would never be used to drinking blood, whether it was his or someone else's. I slid my tongue across his palm, my face scrunching up at the sharp taste of iron, before I released his hand.

When I glanced up again I froze at the vibrant green eyes watching me. I knew that hunger, rage and lust could make their eyes light up and it didn't take a genius to figure out which one Maximus was feeling.

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, alerting me that I needed to change the topic immediately. Thankfully, Maximus must have sensed my discomfort, because he closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them again they were back to their normal grey and he wore an apologetic smile. "I can promise not to act on my lust, but that won't stop me from feeling it."

I felt my cheeks flame, but I shook my head in answer to his statement. "You should never bottle your feelings, it doesn't end well. You promised that you wouldn't try anything and I believe you. I just have to get accustomed to you...feeling like that about me." I picked my words carefully but honestly. I didn't want him to deny himself from feeling things, those were his emotions and he shouldn't have to censor them for me. I just had to get used to the knowledge that he saw me in that way.

He bent to drop a kiss on my head, the contact sending a shot of warmth straight down from where he kissed me. "Anytime you start to get overwhelmed, alert me and I will back down. No questions asked and no feelings hurt."

He straightened then, holding his arm out in invitation. "Now then, shall we go on our way?" I agreed easily, moving forward for him to settle the arm around my shoulders again as we walked. Hopefully this plane ride would be less stressful than the last one.


	10. Chapter 10

To my relief, now that I was no longer nervous about meeting Leila, the plane ride was a lot of fun. The first few hours I spent chatting with Maximus, until my eyes were barely staying open. While I had gotten more sleep than I was expecting after my nightmare, it still wasn't nearly enough apparently.

Maximus had only smiled before telling me to get some sleep, but that was easier said than done in a wheelchair. When I had told him that, he had offered to transfer me to the plane seat thanks to its ability to lie back. After a moment of thought I accepted. It was going to be a long flight so I may as well get some rest, after all.

Although when he had picked me up to put me in the seat I had been sorely tempted to just tell him to go back to his own seat and I would use him as a pillow. He was comfortable enough to be one. But my nerves won out and I stayed in my own seat for the duration of the flight. This led to where we were now, with me blinking tiredly at the sunlight as we exited the plane.

It felt weird to be home after my life had been irrevocably flipped on its head, but it also felt nice. I had to remind myself that I was only here to pick up my things and then I had to go back to Romania. It was better to temporarily put my life on hold than to return to it and get attacked.

It felt like time passed in a blink, and the next thing I knew we were standing in my apartment building's lobby. Seeing the familiar carpet brought me more comfort than I ever thought it would, but that comfort disappeared into dread when we moved to the elevator.

Taped to the front was a notice, written in bold it said. "Out of Order. Please Use the Stairs". Well that's great, if you could climb the stares that is. My frustration boiled, until Maximus spoke up.

"I could carry you up and then come back for your chair? I would offer to carry you and the chair but that would be more noticable." His logic made sense, and I would never pass up the opportunity to be in his arms so I nodded.

"Thanks and sorry about this…" He shook his head, dismissing my apology, as he bent to lift me out of the chair. It was becoming habitual for me to automatically wrap my arms around his head when he moved to pick me up. His words dragged my attention back to him.

"This isn't something to apologize for. It is a part of life for you and if I can make something easier on you, I will." I felt my cheeks flush and my heart skip a beat, I was _so_ not used to that attitude in people but wow I could get used to it.

The climb up the stairs was uneventful, not that I expected it to be otherwise. After he placed me in the nearby chair, he turned to get my wheelchair next. I day dreamed as I watched his muscled back walk away. I would never have guessed this would happen when I had left here less than a week ago, but I definitely didn't regret my choice to go to Romania.

Maximus reappeared in my range of sight a minute later, having to take the stairs at a human rate thanks to all the cameras in the building, unfolding my chair and stepping back to let me situate myself into it. Once comfortable again, I led the way to my apartment. Turning the key in the lock, I felt my nerves fire up. He was used to living in an actual castle, my apartment was small and dingy at the best of times…

Well, I can't back out now. So with a twist of the knob, I let both of us in. At least I always kept the place tidy so I didn't have to worry about it being a mess…

"I only need to grab a few things then we are good to head to my work and get that sorted out." I wasn't sure if we were doing that or if one of the other vampires who came with us were, but I figured Maximus would let me know when it came time to leave.

It didn't take me long to pack, the only things I grabbed were the changes of clothes I would need, my favorite books and my drawing pad. Everything else I couldn't care less about. The only reason I had the extra clutter of nicknacks was my mother's insistence of buying me them, despite me telling her I would prefer art supplies since I couldn't trip over those.

When I rolled out of my room with the small suitcase in my lap, Maximus raised both eyebrows in surprise. "That's it?"

My mouth twisted into a hard smile, "I know it looks like I'm a packrat, but most of this was unwanted gifts from my mother who wanted me to 'enjoy the finer things in life'. Her words, not mine."

Maximus nodded, not commenting further on my mother, to my relief. Instead he rose from his previous place on the couch. "Well then, shall we head back to the plane? Another one of Vlad's people is handling your employment."

Well that answered that question. I nodded as I rolled to match his stride. We still had to go back down the stairs, much to my chagrin, but after that we would be headed back to Romania. And maybe we could have another date, but keep it simple this time. The memory of the cookies he made sprang forward and made my stomach grumble, which Maximus immediately noticed to my embarrassment. "If you're hungry we can stop on the way to the airport and grab some food?"

I waved my hand, hoping my face wasn't totally red as I answered. "No, it's fine. There was food on the plane and I can eat that once we get there. I was just thinking about how great your cookies were. And possibly hitting the kitchen once we get home?"

I really wanted to try his cooking again, but after such a long flight I would understand if he didn't want to. What I was actually asking must have come through because he grinned down at me.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me, shall we make a date out of it?" His arms rested around my shoulders as he lifted me out of my chair again. It was becoming normal now, to the point I wasn't even uncomfortable when he transitioned me.

I forced my attention back to him and his question, not an easy thing to do when all I wanted to do was bury my face into his chest. I managed, but not by much. "That would be great, but if you don't want to after we get back I would completely understand."

He shook his head, stopping at the bottom of the stairs to answer me. "As a vampire I'm not affected by jet lag like you are so as long as you feel up to it we can make it a date. What do you want to eat?"

He continued moving, looking for the nearest chair to put me in while he went back for my _actual_ chair. I waited to answer until he had set me down in one. "Anything you make is bound to be good. So surprise me."

Usually those words are just flattery but I meant them whole heartedly. If his cookies were anything to go by at least. He nodded, already looking like he was considering what to make as he turned around to go back up stairs.

I released a sigh as I watched him go, my eyes drifting down to the tightly packaged form of his butt. It was certainly something to look at… For once I didn't pull my attention away from my thoughts, just letting them play out as they would. He was my boyfriend now, I was allowed to fantasize about him.

My mental imagery kept me from paying attention to my surroundings, something I would dearly regret soon.


	11. Chapter 11

A hand slapped over my mouth, immediately sparking panic as I tried to struggle. I couldn't go far in this chair, and it only served to double my previous fear.

However, once the figure came out from behind me it was all I could do not to be sick. Lance stood before me with a twisted smile on his face, the possessive glint in his eyes as they tracked down my body made chills sweep through me. The feeling of phantom hands came back with force, but now I couldn't reassure myself that it was all in my head. Because unless I had finally snapped, my rapist stood in front me now and by the look in his eyes he was already planning his next assault.

His breath was minty when he spoke, making an irrational irritation flare in me. Doesn't he know that when you intimidate the woman you abused your breath should smell like a troll? The thought was hysterical at best, but I focused back on him when his voice grated against my ears.

"Hello there my dear, I was starting to think you had moved away despite what I had been reliably informed. It really has been too long since I've seen you and imagine my surprise when I was released early only to find that my dear girl friend had been spreading the worst lies about me. Although it seems like most of our friends believed me, not that I expected any difference. But enough of that, I have chosen to forgive you for your schemes so you don't have to worry about that anymore. After all, I'm in a good mood. They let me out early for good behavior and that deserves a celebration. And I know just how you can thank me for my forgiveness."

The words sent ice through my very soul while tears gathered in my eyes. This sick fuck thought I should feel sorry for telling the truth about him? And that I would willingly allow him to have me after everything he put me through? It only further backed up my suspicion that he was insane, the glint in his eyes more than enough to make me believe it.

His hands gripped me as he tried to lift me over his shoulder. Suddenly remembering who exactly I was here with, I started to fight. All I had to do was get his hand off my mouth or make enough noise to get Maximus's attention and I would be safe. Lance wasn't anywhere near a match for Maximus, even if he had been human still.

Lance's hand stayed firmly planted over my mouth, but my elbow lashed out and caught his eye making him throw me to the ground in rage and pain. I slid when I hit the cold tile, but I didn't waste a minute to bemoan my new aches. Hauling in a breath, I screamed as loud as I could. "Maximus!" Just like before in the gym, I felt as the air turned sharp and the familiar form blurred into the room with my chair tucked under his arm. Grey eyes took in the situation with a single scan, before locking onto Lance.

Lance for his part, whirled around to glare at Maximus. "Back off, she's my girl friend and we're just having a spat right now. Go back to your apartment and leave us alone."

Maximus's eyes sparked green as he realised who Lance was, the sudden color change not going unnoticed by my abuser.

Lance backed away as he stared in shock and fear, "What the hell man!? What are you doing with your eyes?" Before he could get far, Maximus dropped my chair and dragged him into a headlock. He whispered into his ear in a tone that would have terrified me to my core if it had been aimed at me,

"So you are the miserable sack of meat who hurt her. I've been wanting to meet you, thank you ever so much for arranging that." His eyes were pure green by the time he finished speaking, never leaving the Lance's struggling form.

I felt as my breathing sped up and my dread rose, now was _not_ the time for an attack. But despite my wishes it escalated as I fought to drag air into my lungs. Maximus snapped his gaze over to me and cursed, swinging his eyes back to Lance he gave a single order. "Sit down, shut up and don't move."

As if by magic, Lance immediately stopped making a fuss and flopped down onto the ground. The sight would have been amusing, if I weren't having other pressing issues at the moment. Maximus was at my side in the next instant, his hands stroking down my arms as he lowered his voice into the soothing timber I was used to.

It wasn't immediate, but I felt as his reassurance crawled through the bog like panic that had overtaken my mind. He pulled me into his chest as he made himself breath deeply, a request for me to copy him since he didn't need oxygen.

It took me longer than I'd prefer but after a few minutes I no longer felt like I was suffocating and could think a clear sentence again. That almost calm disappeared when a familiar feminine voice broke through the air, the words sending soul rending betrayal through me.

"What do you think you're doing young lady? I raised you better than to cheat on your boyfriend. First all of your lies about him to our friends and now this? It took me considerable convincing to make everyone believe the lies you were spreading were just that, Lies. When the courts offered an early release for Lance I couldn't in good conscience leave him in there to pay for your falsehoods. Now that he's out you two can finally sort this messy business out once and for all. And I don't want to hear a word of complaint from you, after what you put him through you should just be grateful that he is willing to take you back at all."

I clung to Maximus's arm as dread slammed into me and added to the betrayal. Tears of resignation and humiliation came to my eyes as I wrenched out through my tears. "It was you. You were the one who told everyone I was lying. I thought it was Lance, but it wasn't. How could you? And now you demand I go back to him? After what he did to me?"

My voice was rising steadily, until it was sharper than I had ever remembered before. I hated that Maximus had gotten caught in the middle of this family drama, but he hadn't put me back into my chair yet so all I could do was try to sit up using his arm and face my mother.

She made an imposing sight, her natural height increased by the four inch heels she wore. Her face was set into a hard scowl, the skin pinched to look as if she had clothespins holding her face back. Her sharp hazel eyes, the same eyes I inherited, glared down at me from behind her brown fringe as if I was gum on the bottom of her shoe.

Her words cut me to the core, "He didn't do anything to you. He came over to explain himself after you called the hospital. You were chopping in the kitchen and he startled you. You backed into the knife on the counter and made such a fuss about it, blaming him for your mistake. I have never been more ashamed of you-"

My grip increased on Maximus's arm until it must have hurt but he made no comment and I was in no mental place to think clearly. It was all I could do not to shake apart as my mother took my trauma and threw it in my face while telling me I made all of it up for attention. Tears slid down my cheeks, but I didn't care. I had never expected her to betray me in such a way, in any way. She was my mother, she had held me after Lance had assaulted me. She had comforted me in the hospital when I lost my ability to walk.

However as I remembered what she had done for me, I also remembered the other details I had always tried to not focus on. Her telling me that I must have misunderstood Lance's rape of me because he couldn't _possibly_ do such a thing. Her disgust at my injury and her calling my efforts to get on with my life after he was locked up _unnecessary dramatics_.

She had always been on his side, I just had been too stupid to see it. The betrayal cut deep, making me feel as if she had buried a knife in my chest. I should have seen it coming, I would have if I hadn't held desperately onto the hope that my mother couldn't possibly take my abusers side.

When she moved as if to physically take me from Maximus's arms, I flinched back into him while curling up against his chest. Right now he was the only thing in my life that hadn't been flipped completely on its head so I would cling to him until everything was stable again.

In the next instant, Maximus's voice came out in a low growl. "I don't care who you are, you will not be taking a single step closer to her." I felt the vibrations from it from my place leaned against his chest, but I didn't look up. I knew it was the coward's way out, but right now I couldn't bare to look into my mother's eyes while knowing that she was the one who caused so much of my suffering.

Instead of the indignant squawking I expected, the room was eerily silent. Deciding to take a peek, I immediately noted the glazed look in my mother's eyes. Maximus must have used his gaze on her when he spoke to her before.

Maximus looked down to me, his eyes softening as he spoke. "There are people on the way here now and they can't see this. What do you want me to do? Whatever you choose I will honor it."

My head pounded as I tried to think past my cotton stuffed head. I buried my face into his chest as a headache throbbed behind my eyes. "I don't know. I don't know what I want. I just want to get away from here. Away from them."

Maximus's mouth grazed the top of my head, before his voice rang out again. "Both of you are to act as if nothing occurred here, you don't know where Zelda is and you will continue on with your lives as if you hadn't come to visit today."

They both nodded mutely, before exiting the lobby. Leaving me with a new betrayal to think over and pain to work through. Maximus's voice rumbled from above my place tucked into his throat,the sound comforting as I tried to piece everything back together.

"This was the only thing I could think of that would allow you to choose what you wanted at a later time when you are less overwhelmed. For now, we can go home as you want and deal with this whenever you are ready."

The thought of ever being ready to deal with this seemed impossible but I didn't disagree. Too happy with the thought of getting away from here to care about the future. Maximus must have picked up on that, because he carefully situated me into my chair before wrapping me into a hug.

"It will be alright. I won't let them or anyone else touch you. Once we're back home you will be far out of their reach. If you choose to later, it would be my pleasure to have them brought to Romania to be thrown in Vlad's dungeon." His words rang with his want to do just that, but his touch was gentle as he stroked down my back.

The thought of Lance being in the dungeon didn't bother me as much as it probably should have, but while I was hurt that my mother would betray me in such a way, I couldn't let that happen to her. My voice cracked when I answered, but I considered it a victory that I managed to choke it all out.

"No, at least not for my mother. I don't care what you do to Lance, obviously the law isn't going to do anything. But my mother, I can't…" My statement trailed off, but Maximus dropped a kiss to my forehead, cutting me off by brushing another kiss over my mouth.

"No need to explain further, she's your mother. That's all I need to know. As for Lance, I'll alert Vlad to the situation. He can send someone back to collect him easily. For now, let's get you back to Romania. We still have to decide what food you want for our date when we get back and I can put in a call for someone to bring chocolate and whatever else you want to eat to the airport before we board. Okay?"

His understanding tone held no judgement for the drama he just witnessed and that made tears of gratitude pour out of me. He didn't miss a beat, cradling my face as he swiped them away. I nodded, not able to speak past the knot in my throat, but my nod was enough for him.

Pulling back, he pulled me into another kiss only letting go when I had relaxed into it. "Do you want me to push your chair or keep and arm around you?" Was it that obvious that I didn't want him to stop touching me?

Shaking my thoughts to the side, I answered. "Can you keep your arm wrapped around my shoulder? I...really want you to keep touching me." Or I might break down. That part went unsaid, but if the concern that flared in his eyes was any indication it had still been heard loud and clear.

I nudged him back, wanting to get on the plane and back to Romania as quickly as possible. He gave me space before sliding his arm around my shoulders and dropping into stride with me. His thumb stroked my shoulder as we left the building, with my heart considerably heavier than when we entered it.


	12. Chapter 12

I only relaxed once we were safely in the plane and the wheels had folded up for take off. Maximus had stayed close without being suffocating, to my vast relief. His hand now rested in mine, giving a comforting squeeze every now and then.

Gratitude swelled in my chest as I looked over his features. If he hadn't been there today… The thought of Lance's twisted expression and my mother's words sent the knife in my chest deeper while my stomach rolled dangerously.

Some of what I was feeling must have shown on my face, because Maximus raised a hand to stroke my face. His voice was low and ringing with worry. "Do you want to talk about it or be distracted?"

My mouth twitched in amusement, I liked that better than the generic response of asking if I was alright. After the mess we just walked out of, I was nowhere near alright. Maximus knew that and was offering to help in whatever way he could. While I wouldn't feel completely better until I had time to reconcile with this new information, I knew an easy way to lessen my emotional strain.

"Can you hold me?" It came out quieter than I had tried for, but Maximus just nodded. One of the bonuses of dating a vampire, I didn't have to raise my voice to be heard.

"With pleasure." That was all he said as his arms slid under my legs to shift me out of my chair. In the next blink I was sitting in his lap, his arms a blanket of comfort around me. I didn't have the energy to care that he was seeing me maneuver my legs as I dragged them to one side so I could flop against his chest.

Exhaustion from my lack of sleep and the upheaval of my emotions slammed through me, making every limb feel weighted down. One of his hands came up to stroke my back, the motion soothed my still hurting emotions as I cuddled closer into his throat.

His voice sent comforting rumbles through my cheek that rested on his chest when he spoke, "Get some rest, you have more than earned it after today." I needed no other encouragement, as I shut my eyes. Maximus gently moved my legs until they rested at a more comfortable angle, allowing me to stretch out more across his front. A sigh of contentment pushed from my lungs as I focused on his scent, it was spicy but not over powering. It almost reminded me of cocoa.

I drifted off with the feeling of his hands running through my hair and his arms cradling me to his chest. If it was up to me, this would be how I would go to sleep from now. Maybe I could convince Maximus to spend more night in my room…

It was many hours later when I blinked awake, confusion momentarily taking hold at my halfway reclined posture. That confusion disappeared when I turned to see Maximus's sleeping face. In a rush everything came back to me. Going home, Lance, my mother and then my current position using Maximus as a living mattress.

I'd be more embarrassed if he wasn't so comfortable. That was probably the best sleep I'd gotten in the last month at least and it was sitting at an awkward angle on a plane. Taking the chance given to me, I took in the planes and dips of Maximus's sleeping face.

He looked younger in his sleep, not that his looks accurately portrayed his health when he was awake either…

I lifted my hand and traced his jaw with a feather light touch. I didn't want to wake him but some part of me wanted to touch him, just to be sure he was real. Apparently my touch wasn't gentle enough, because one of his eyes flicked open lazily.

I jerked back, feeling my face heat up as his stormy grey eyes watched me. His voice still had a sleepy grumble to it when he spoke, "You don't have to stop. I was enjoying it."

His arms tightened slightly to further prove his point. So, after a moment of hesitation, I reached forward again. My hand traced his nose, the bone feeling slightly crooked under my fingers told me it had been broken at least once when he was human, before trailing up into his hair.

My fingers combed through the blond locks, the soft strands wound around my fingers as I gently brushed it out. Eyelids slid down to hide his eyes as he hummed in contentment, his head leaned gently into my hand to encourage me to continue.

A chuckle came from me before I could stop it, "You really like me playing with your hair, don't you?" His eyes opened again, watching me with humor lightening them.

"Yes, if you ever wish to do so then feel free. I have no complaints about your affections, nor will I ever. The only time I wouldn't appreciate it would be in front of the guards or Vlad, but that is for professional reasons." The sleepy tone to his voice was gone, but it still wrapped around me like a blanket.

I nodded easily, "That's fine, I wouldn't do this in public anyway. For one if you don't have your head in my lap I can't reach." He snorted, the air brushing against my face before he settled into an amused grin.

"True." We settled into a companionable silence as my fingers continued playing with his hair. It was only minutes later when he gently stopped my hand and sat up slightly. The movement jostled me, but his arm kept a secure grip until we were both sitting up straight again.

"As much as I love that position, I have to ask you something important." Immediately nerves sprung to life in my stomach, but I did my best to push them down. This was Maximus and there was nothing he could ask that I wouldn't answer. I nodded to show he had my attention.

He must have smelled my sudden nerves, because he stroked my hands when he spoke. "That came out more serious than I had planned. I only wanted to run the thought of teaching you how to use a weapon by you. It may not do much against a vampire, but it could do a world of good against anyone else."

The thought of using a weapon made me uneasy, but I understood why he would want me to learn. The feeling of Lance's hands came back, before I quickly shook it off. I didn't want to remember that right now, and I had a question to answer.

"Okay, I won't lie and say I'm totally comfortable with the thought, but I understand why it would be necessary." Maximus visibly relaxed, his smile telling me how glad he was that I had chosen to agree to his request.

After dropping another kiss to my head, he continued. "I'm glad you are alright with it. While I fully plan to never let anything come closest enough to you to be a threat, I will feel better if you have your own weapon. It could be something as small and simple as a knife, just as long as you have something."

The more I thought about it, the more I agreed. If the situation in the lounge happened again and Maximus wasn't there I would need some way to get myself out.

Shaking my somber train of thought off, I refocused on Maximus. "Now that we have that settled, you mentioned calling someone for chocolate earlier?"

He grinned widely, one of his arms unwrapping from me to reach behind the seat. When he pulled his hand back he held a party sized pack of Hershey miniatures. A delighted laugh broke from me as he handed it over, "I wasn't sure what type of chocolate to get but this seemed to be one of the more popular brands. I'm glad to see you like it."

I planted my lips on his, my exuberance was from more than the chocolate, although that was a wonderful bonus. He had stayed through my family's drama despite knowing me for less than a week, he didn't push my boundaries, he comforted me without hesitation, and he got me chocolate. He was amazing, and he was mine.

As he curled his arms around me again, I considered taking things just one baby step further. Gathering my courage, I slid my tongue against the fold of his lips. Immediately, he stiffened underneath me, but I waited for him to either pull back or push forward. After a moment where he stayed perfectly still, I repeated the motion and felt as he shuddered.

This time he opened his mouth, his eyes slitted open and glowed green as he watched me explore him. He didn't taste like anything in particular as my tongue traced along his mouth, the feeling was new but not bad.

After making my way to his tongue, I hesitated. What was I supposed to do now? As if in answer, he wrapped his tongue around mine. It felt slimy, but not completely unpleasant. He carded his hand into my hair, gently guiding my head to the side and slanting our mouths together. The new angle and the addition of his hand cradling my jaw made a fuzzy warmth spread through me. But when he sucked lightly on my tongue, sending a burst of heat straight down between my legs, I shuddered for a different reason.

Sensing the shift in mood and feeling me trying to disconnect, Maximus instantly obeyed. His mouth slid from mine, leaving me colder than before but giving me the minute I needed to compose myself.

I dragged air into my lungs, only just now realizing how much they were starting to hurt from lack of oxygen. That was awesome, although I wished I hadn't had to stop. But I felt the bubbling wariness and knew that it was better to call it a day for trying new things. The last thing I wanted to do was push myself too far and undo any progress I've made.

Maximus watched me with his eyes still glowing, his hand reached out to brush our combined saliva off of my lips before bringing it to his own. The sight immediately sent another pulse of heat downward, making me squirm on his lap. Clearing my throat, I murmured. "Can you dial it back, just a bit?"

The slow boil of lust was starting to affect me and I would prefer to not have _another_ attack today. Maximus nodded easily, his eyes softening around the edges as he slid a kiss against my forehead. "Too much?"

I couldn't stop my face from heating up as I thought back on the kiss, "A little bit, but just at the end. I liked the rest of it." I felt mildly wary as I waited for his reaction. I knew that he was a nice guy, but even the nicest people will get tired of being pushed back after awhile. He would never rush me, but would he get tired of waiting?

Some of my concerns must have shown, because he sighed and pulled me back against his chest. "What has you looking so worried? If you're concerned about me trying anything more you don't need to be. I would never try to force you into anything you're not ready for."

The words touched me, even though that wasn't at all what I was thinking about. I made sure to tell him that, "That's not what I was thinking about, I'm just concerned. What if I never get better at handling touch? What if this is all that I can do in our relationship?...Will you get tired of it?"

The last sentence was a whisper, but his advanced hearing ensured that he got it loud and clear. His hands came up to bracket my face, gently lifting my eyes to his from where I had tried to hide them in his chest. "I don't know how quickly you will heal, but look at how much you've accomplished so far. You are sitting in my lap without fear. That is progress on its own, you shouldn't downplay it just because it isn't going as fast as you think it should. And Zelda, no matter how long it takes you, or how slow you want to go, I will never leave you over it. I'm in this relationship for you, not for your body or anything else. Okay?"

Tears clouded my eyes, but I tried to blink them back. I never thought I would find someone like him, not in this lifetime at least. The thought that I was lucky enough to find him made the butterflies take flight in my stomach. I nodded to show my understanding as I curled against him again.

He chuckled against my hair, "You seem to like being curled on top of me just as much as I like having your fingers in my hair." I let out a low hum, not disputing his words as my face continued heating up.

"Nothing wrong with enjoying casual touch, over the past eight centuries I've come to enjoy it considerably more than I did in my youth." He continued on while stroking my hair, easily leaving the previous topic alone to my gratitude.

My curiosity flared at the mention of his childhood, "Why didn't you enjoy touch when you were younger and how come it took so long for you to like it afterwards?" Considering how much he seemed to like it now, the thought of him ever not enjoying it seemed odd.

A felt his chest move as he took a breath, "You have to understand that back when I was a boy the war swallowed everything. If you weren't strong then you didn't survive. The Crusades started when I was very young, and the resulting war tore through my country and left many people desperate to survive. When I was a boy, it was everyone out for themselves and it left little room for coddling or pleasant touch. For the better part of my childhood the only touch I received was pain, whether from a soldier or another civilian just desperate to feed their family. After I went into the Templar order I picked up a blade and learned to fight back. Throughout the next hundred years the only people to touch me were my enemies and I don't have to tell you why that wasn't a good touch. The Crusades ended in 1291 and with it, I was free for the first time in centuries to do as I wished. It was only after the next hundred years of being used as an instrument of pleasure that I came to realise how rare it is to lie still and simply be held by someone you cared for. The last person before the Crusades who had held me had been my mother, but she had died at an early age. That is what made me join the Templars, it was a place to sleep and food to eat which was more than I had at the time."

I felt admiration well up in me as I listened to the hell my partner had been through. He had survived in such a harsh setting, thrived even. The mention of people using him made rage burn in my chest, how did anyone look at this man and hurt him in such a way?

"Thank you for telling me, I like hearing more about you even if it isn't happy memories we're talking about. And as for the people who used you…" I straightened until our faces were level with one another, dropping a chaste kiss on his mouth. "They have no idea what they missed out on. Your arms are quickly becoming my favorite place to be."

A strangled noise came from him, but before I could ask about it his hands came up to yank me into a kiss. His mouth stayed closed, but somehow he still managed to convey his feelings through it. His happiness warmed me throughout, I was glad that he felt just as good about our relationship as I did. I wanted to make him feel every bit of the joy that he gave me and more. If we had our way, there would be plenty of times in the future to do just that.

I pulled back when my lungs started to scream for air. I knew if I didn't stop Maximus might forget about that necessity. Staring into grey eyes that swam with emotion made me want to wrap him into a hug and never let go. No one who hurt him emotionally again, I wouldn't allow it and I would do my best to never do it myself.

The feelings expanded in my chest, demanding an outlet. I didn't want to jump into our more intense kissing again, for obvious reasons but how could I show him what I'm feeling?

It hit me, not all couples communicate affection through kisses. Shifting my weight, I tried to sit straight to bring our faces closer. Once we were as close as we would get, with Maximus throwing me confused looks, I wrapped my arms around his neck and thumped my forehead softly into his.

It felt nice to be able to look straight into his eyes without having to crane my neck. Seeing his confusion increasing, I nudged forward and rubbed the tips of our noses together. He chuckled, his eyes never losing their confusion as he asked. "What are you doing?"

His tone wasn't irritated, just curious to my relief. I shrugged before doing it again. "I like touching you and I feel a lot of things I can't put into words, but I still want you to know how I feel. Usually couples use kisses to get these feelings across, but I don't think I'm up for another intense one and it definitely would be if my current emotions are anything to go by. So I wanted to show you in a different way, but I think I failed."

My grin was sheepish, I had been trying to go for an Eskimo kiss but maybe I should've just kissed him. It wasn't like he wouldn't stop if I asked. Before I could make a joke out of it to lower my embarrassment, he lowered his head until his head rested against mine again.

His breath brushed my ear when he spoke, just loud enough for me and no one else to hear. "You didn't fail, I just needed to know what you were doing to properly understand it. If this is how you want to show affection when you're overwhelmed then I am quite happy with it." To prove his point he rubbed his nose against mine before tracing his mouth up between my eyes to lay a kiss.

A giddy bubble of happiness shifted in my chest until I had no choice but to smile up at him like an idiot. If his answering smile was any indication, he didn't mind in the slightest. I wasn't used to feeling this happy, but it was a nice change. I got the feeling I would be feeling this and a lot more throughout our relationship.


	13. Chapter 13

Thankfully the flight felt like it passed in a blink, although I wasn't surprised. A full eight hours of uninterrupted cuddle time with Maximus had made the time fly. When we left the plane, it was still dark out but I would recognise the two figures waiting for us anywhere.

I waved at Leila and Vlad, more happy to see them than I had expected. Then again, after the drama with my mother it probably shouldn't surprise me that I was happy to see the only family member I had that actually liked me.

Leila wasted no time in wrapping me into a hug, thankfully I had time on the plane to calm down so it didn't bother me as much as it would have otherwise. It still made my skin crawl after a few seconds though, at which point I squirmed to be let go. Leila didn't try to make me stay, despite her ability to do so.

She went back to Vlad's side, her worry was clear on her face though. "Are you doing alright?" Maximus must have called to update them and told them about my mother. With a forced smile, I answered.

"As much as I can be." My tone made it obvious just how I was feeling, but I didn't care enough to fix it. Leila nodded, completely understanding family drama, before linking her arm with Vlad. "Well you're home now and you don't have to worry about them anytime soon. If you want I'll bite them for you, although by the look on Maximus's face he is going to have first dibs on that."

I looked back and mentally agreed with Leila, his face _was_ set into a particularly bitey look. I reached back to grip his hand that was clenched at his side. "Yeah, I already called my mother off limits for the dungeon but if you want Lance you can have him."

I threw the last part of the sentence to Vlad, who grinned at me. "It will be my pleasure, it has been many years since a human has earned a spot in my dungeon. While I would like for Hugh to join him, I shall settle for Lance."

Briefly I considered asking why our father had earned a spot in there, but after the last day of emotions I really didn't want to get into any more family drama. If Leila felt like talking about it, I would be here to listen.

Vlad nodded, reminding me that he could read minds, before speaking. "I'm sure your visit was draining on both of you. I already ordered the staff to bring your things to your room if you wish to stop by the kitchen to eat something to refresh your energy."

Had Maximus mentioned our plan to do another date or was Vlad just a really good wingman? The man in question flashed me a grin, "Both." I felt my face flush, I really needed to work on getting a mental filter in place, before the poor man had to hear my brain when it went on a long babble. No one else should have to suffer through that, but me.

Vlad scoffed, "I've heard worse, I assure you." At this point both Leila and Maximus were staring in confusion at our somewhat conversation. Before I could say or think any more embarrassing statements, I looked back to Maximus.

"Do you feel like hitting the kitchen or do you have something you need to do first?" He had mentioned before we got off the plane that he felt well enough for the date, but if he had something to do then I could wait.

He shook his head, responding while moving forward to stand to my side instead of behind me. "I have nothing urgent that needs to be done, unless the voivode needs me?"

Vlad shook his head in the negative, "Nothing that has to be done now. I will have to meet with you to get details on Lance, but otherwise no. You're free to enjoy your evening." He finished his sentence with a sly smirk, making my cheeks warm at the insinuation.

_We're not doing anything like that…_ This time I meant for him to hear it, and by the grin he shot me he knew that. But he didn't comment further, to my relief. He simply stepped to the side and led us back into the house.

Maximus's arm retook its place around my shoulders as we walked. A pang of longing hit as I wheeled myself down the hallway. I wish I could hold his hand…

Usually I didn't mind my disability, it made things difficult sometimes but there was nothing to be gained from railing at it or drowning in self pity. But times like this where I can't even hold my boyfriend's hand because I need both of mine to steer…it made me wish for something that was pointless to consider.

Feeling the self pity start to take hold, I booted it out before it could set roots. _Get a grip, Zelda. If you want to hold his hand, do it when you stop moving. It's not that hard. _With that thought, I shook off my foul mood and powered forward. The faster we got to the kitchen, the faster we could do our date.

We separated ways with Vlad and Leila at the entrance to the kitchen. Leila gave me another hug before offering to listen should I need it. It almost brought tears to my eyes, after my mother's unexpected betrayal having Leila's genuine care was enough to make me want to cry.

I refocused myself on the present as Maximus moved to the fridge, his voice carried over the distance to me. "What are you feeling like? We have the ingredients for most things on hand, but if we need anything I can send someone to get it."

Just as I opened my mouth to object to making someone go out of their way, he raised a hand to stop me. "And before you say it, this is normal. This wouldn't be the first time we've sent staff members to the store at odd hours. They just pick up anything we happen to need while they're there. So what sounds good? If I don't know how to make it I can find a recipe."

Chewing my lip, I tried to think if anything sounded good in particular. When nothing came to mind, I shrugged sheepishly. "Honestly I have no idea, I'm hungry but nothing jumps out as a craving."

Maximus hummed in thought, "Do you have any allergies? Or foods you don't like?"

I shook my head, "I don't have any allergies that I'm aware of, but I don't care for most fish and cucumbers." I watched as his mind worked with the information before nodding, apparently having come to a decision.

"It should be done in half an hour, in the meantime we can talk here. If you want to?" I didn't even need to think about it before my head was nodding.

His hands were a blur of motion as they chopped the veggies, putting them into a pot with what looked to be spaghetti sauce. I waited patiently until he had the prep work done before making my move. Once he set it on the stove, he stepped back and sat next to me.

I didn't waste a minute, the second his hand was free I clasped it in mine. The calluses that coated his hands rubbed against my skin, reminding me again that he was a trained warrior. The thought that this almost thousand year old templar was making me dinner brought a smile to my lips.

He turned his hand over until our palms faced each other before interlocking our fingers. His thumb stroked the back of my hand as he chuckled. "How long had you wanted to do that?"

I flushed, shifting awkwardly in my chair. "Since we came off the plane. I wanted to grab your hand on the walk here, but I need both hands to stop a painful collision with the wall." I gave a sheepish shrug at the end, but he pulled my hand to his lips in reassurance.

Putting out joined hands back down to the table, he spoke. "There's nothing wrong with wanting as much contact as possible, don't be ashamed of it." I relaxed at his words, glad that he didn't think I was being clingy.

I wasn't used to wanting someone's touch and now that I had him it felt like I never wanted to stop. Even if it was as small as holding hands, it felt nice. Shaking myself out of my own thoughts, I curled partially into his side.

"If you ever want me to back off a bit, feel free to tell me. I don't want to be clingy or make things difficult for you. I promise my feelings won't be hurt." Considering how often he had to back off when I got overwhelmed it was only right that he had the same option.

Maximus chuckled, his thumbs stroking my hand as he replied. "I don't see that being a worry, but if it is I will be sure to tell you."

I relaxed into my chair, with how affectionate we are I didn't see it becoming a problem either. But I couldn't not offer him it, just in case.

As we chatted we migrated closer until my chair was pulled up alongside his at the table, making it easier for me to lean into his side. If the arm around my waist was any indication, he had no problems with our new position.

The timer's shrill beep broke us from our little bubble. Maximus rose to pull the food off the stove, ladling a bowlful before placing it in front of me. Whatever it was, it smelled divine and after I tasted it I instantly knew it was going to be my new favorite.

"It's delicious, what's in it?" Maximus smiled at my obvious enjoyment as he took his seat again.

"It's an old vegetable soup that my mother taught me to make in my childhood. It has carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and various other vegetables in it." His voice was wistful as he remembered his mother, the far off look in his eyes tugging on my heart.

What must it be like, not having anything from your own time to turn to? I reached my unoccupied hand over to grasp his again. The action pulling a smaller version of his previous smile from him. He squeezed my fingers in reassurance, "It's fine. I've had a long time to come to terms with her death and it doesn't hurt as much as it used to."

While I was glad it didn't actively hurt, I wished I could help with it in some way. Even though I knew that was a useless thought, since it was almost a millennium ago. Since I couldn't fix what hurt him, I did what I could in the present.

Remembering how he had made me feel all aflutter earlier, I copied his action. I brought our hands up to my mouth and kissed him, the scar tissue under my lips feeling foreign but not unpleasant.

He unwound our fingers as his eyes flashed green. In the next second his hand rested against my cheek as he leaned over the table to kiss me.

He kept his mouth closed, giving me the option of taking it deeper or keeping it at our current chaste level. Although I briefly considered furthering it, I ultimately decided against it. I was still feeling off and there was plenty of time for that later.

He didn't push for more, just pulling back when he knew I needed air. He smiled radiantly at me, before scooting back to his place at the table. "If I don't put some distance between us you're never going to finish eating. Finish your food, then we can do more of that."

Well, he certainly knew how to motivate me! I turned my focus back to my food and devoured it at the fastest pace possible while still being safe. I heard his chuckle at my enthusiasm but I didn't care. There were cuddles and kisses at that finish line and nothing would stop me from getting there as quickly as possible.


	14. Chapter 14

As I pulled up outside of my room, I turned around to face Maximus. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster from our encounter with my mother to the present time. Our date had gone a long way in relaxing me again, but the chill from Lance's insane eyes still held tightly to my spine.

I didn't want Maximus to go back to his room, but how should I ask him to stay? Would he want to? What if he had other things to do?

The questions rebounded around my mind, my nerves competed with my want to feel the comfort I knew he could provide. It was the thought of being alone through yet another nightmare that made my decision for me.

"Maximus, do you have anything you need to do tonight?" I forced myself to meet his eyes as I asked. The eye contact helped me contain my nerves that were now rioting while I waited for his answer.

He shook his head in the negative as his hand reached out for mine. "The only thing I have to do is talk to Vlad about what happened in the apartment lobby and that can wait until tomorrow."

I gripped his hand tightly as I forced the next question through my nerves. "Would you like to spend the night again?" The connotations of the question made me turn red, but I didn't clarify. He knew what I meant.

He crouched to be at my eye level, his hand stroking through my hair before planting a kiss on my forehead. "I'd love nothing more."

All of my nerves melted into relief as I relaxed my grip on his hand. It was a good thing he was strong or that probably would've hurt…

Shaking off my thoughts, I smiled up at him before asking. "Do you want to change first? Those clothes don't look comfortable to sleep in."

Maximus glanced down at his attire before flashing a small smile, "It would be a good idea. I'll be back in a moment."

I didn't even have time to nod before he blurred out of sight. By the time I counted to four mentally, he had reappeared in front of me. I would never get over how nice he looked in lounge pants…

I dragged my eyes up to his again, flushing when he grinned knowingly at me. Okay so I liked how he looked and my eyes had difficulty peeling themselves away, so what?

"It's not my fault you look edible." I clapped a hand over my mouth immediately as a fire engine red blush covered my face and crawled back to my ears. Tell me I had imagined that and I didn't just say that out loud…

His grin widened, confirming that I had indeed said that, before he dropped a kiss to my head. With how warm I felt now, I was surprised his mouth didn't burn on contact.

"There's no need to be embarrassed or ashamed for admiring what is yours." Oh he was _smooth_. Did he want my head to explode from the amount of blood rushing to it?

Hearing him call himself _mine_ did funny things to my emotions, making them do spins in my chest. I sputtered incoherently when I tried to speak, but he only laughed.

My attempts at speech were cut off by his lips, probably a good thing or else I would have said something else to make my head want to explode from embarrassment.

When he pulled away, my face had lightened to a nice cherry shade and I almost felt like I could think again. Instead of saying anything else that was sure to increase my self consciousness, I let him tug me toward my room.

"Shall we retire for the night?" I nodded mutely, turning to open the door for us and using the time to regulate my blood flow away from my head. It was only when I stopped by the bed that I remembered a mildly important bit I forgot. I still hadn't changed clothes.

Clearing my throat, I asked "Would you mind waiting here while I go get changed?" Maximus shook his head, settling his weight on the bed as I grabbed a change of pajamas from my suitcase that I still needed to unpack.

I would do that tomorrow, I had a much more pressing matter to focus on now. Namely the over six foot tall blonde viking currently sitting on my bed and waiting for me to finish dressing.

Thankfully over the past few years I had gotten adept at that, so it only took a minute or two until I rolled back out of the bathroom, dropping my dirty clothes in the nearby hamper.

He hadn't moved apart from lying back onto his elbows, the sight of his body stretched out on my bed made jitters run through my blood that I quickly stomped out. Rolling to the other side of the bed, I locked my wheels before transferring. My eyes stayed firmly on the comforter as I did, not wanting to see his reaction to my less than graceful movement.

When he said nothing for a moment, I risked a glance and immediately felt gratitude build in my chest. He had his eyes closed. He knew how self conscious I was about moving from my chair in front of him and he had made it unnecessary.

I reached my arm out once I was situated, my fingers brushing his cheek. His eyes fluttered open, a smile tugging at his lips before he pulled my fingers to his mouth for a kiss.

"Thank you for doing that." I didn't bother clarifying, I knew he would understand. He nodded before shifting to lie under the covers with me. Once he was settled onto his side, he placed his hand between us with his palm up and let me decide where to go from there.

I clasped it without thought, the familiar touch sending warmth through me as I maneuvered my legs closer to him. I stopped with less than a foot between our bodies, "Can you?"

Just as he did yesterday, he wrapped me into his arms and pulled me to his chest. I felt as the day's stress melted away, his presence drowning the negative emotions in comfort.

I would probably get at least one nightmare tonight, but if he was there it wouldn't be too bad...

I drifted off with his fingers carding through my hair, I couldn't wait to see what else our relationship held.

The breath stuck in my lungs as I lunged to a sitting position. No matter how fervently I tried to make my lungs work, they stayed frozen in fright. I hated times like this. Waking up from a nightmare, not even able to clearly remember what happened in it, but left to deal with the uncomfortable side effects until the dream let go.

My hand brushed a lump in the blankets next to me, immediately sending my panic higher only for memories to return. Maximus, the lump beside me was Maximus and it was perfectly fine that he was there.

I briefly considered trying to power through my attack without waking him, but after a second of trying to control my breathing I knew that wouldn't be possible. I was somewhat quiet now, but if it got any worse then I wouldn't be. I doubted Maximus would mind me waking him and if he did then I would apologize.

Decision made, I reached a shaking hand out to him. My palm rested against the dark form, the lack of light in the room making it difficult to tell what exactly I was touching. Gripping what I assumed was his arm, I nudged him gently.

His eyes immediately flashed open, glowing green at first as he swung his gaze around the room only to calm when it rested on me. His relaxed form disappeared when he noticed my current state and my difficulty breathing.

He sat up, scooting closer until I could feel his breath against my face when he spoke. "How do I help?" Tears of gratitude welled in my eyes before I pushed them back, he would take it the wrong way right now and I didn't want to explain myself.

I managed to gasp out, "Light." I felt as he flashed away from my side, and in the time it took my brain to register the mattress shifting from his lack of weight, the light flicked on. Immediate relief slid through my veins as I looked around at the empty room.

My eyes landed on a very worried Maximus after I finished my room scan. Now that I could see, his clothes were rumpled from sleep and his hair was the definition of bed head. It made him look downright adorable, but I doubted that he would appreciate me telling him that.

I forced a weak smile and gestured for him to take his previous spot on the bed again. He had hovered by the light, not sure if he should return to my side or not. I appreciated his care, but there was nowhere safer for me than his arms.

Once he settled next to me again, I curled into his chest and inhaled his scent. I never thought someone's smell would be comforting, but as his arms wrapped around me and tugged me closer, I found myself burying my nose into his throat to get another sniff.

It took the better part of ten minutes before I felt calm enough to talk. I could practically feel the concern coming off of him in waves, if I had bothered to pull back from his neck I knew I would see the same reflected in his eyes.

Deciding to get it out of the way so we could go back to cuddling, I pushed forward. "It was just a nightmare, I get them a lot and sometimes they are harder to shake after I wake up. Light and moving helps me calm down."

Maximus' frown relaxed a bit, "Do you want to go to the kitchen for some exercise?" His hands rubbed my back gently as he cradled me to his chest. The motion was soothing and I melted into it without hesitation. If this was what happened when he was here for my nightmares then I would be more than happy to wake him whenever I got them.

Remembering that he asked me a question, I focused enough to answer. "It's not necessary. You being here calms me down more than exercise ever will. Maybe in a bit I'll get up and start unpacking since I almost never get back to sleep after a nightmare."

Maximus brushed a kiss against my head before responding, "I'm glad to hear that I have that effect on you. If you need help unpacking I'm here."

I only had to think about it for a minute before answering, "I would appreciate that. There isn't much but it will go quicker with help." And it would also give us some extra time together before he had to start his day.

I didn't mention that part but by the knowing smile curling his mouth, Maximus had thought of the same thing. We may as well finish that first before cuddling so that we could relax for longer without worrying about blowing off the unpacking in favor of our alone time.

It wouldn't surprise me if we did completely space the unpacking, so with that in mind I spoke up after lifting my head from his neck. "We should probably do that now, because I'm just going to go back to sleep on you if we don't and as comfortable as you are I do need to get everything unpacked."

His chest vibrated underneath me with his laughter, "Yes that is a good idea." So saying, he gently slid me off his chest and sat up. Watching the muscles move under his shirt made my mouth go dry before I shook myself back to the present and away from the gutter my thoughts were determined to stay in.

I followed his lead and dragged myself up, moving to my chair and transferring as quickly and smoothly as possible. The sooner we finish this, the faster we would be back in bed. That was all the motivation I needed.

It was only minutes later when I hung up the last of the clothes. Maximus had just finished putting the other clothes in the dresser and turned to face me with confusion. "Is this all that you brought with you? I thought I mentioned to pack a few weeks worth of clothing…" As he trailed off my face heated up in embarrassment. I had hoped he wouldn't notice that…

I cleared my throat and said in what I hoped was a nonchalant tone. "You did tell me that, but those are all the clothes that I own so I only brought them." Maximus froze, his face stuck in a mask of surprise and disbelief before he noticed my discomfort.

His face shifted to concern immediately, his hand encasing mine in the next instant. "Why do you only own a little over a week's worth of clothes?"

I didn't like discussing this with him, I felt self conscious about this without anyone else knowing, but I reminded myself that this was Maximus. He wouldn't make fun of me for my difficulty with shops. "I don't do well in crowds. I can barely handle going to my job on the busier days. I get easily overwhelmed until every sound, sight and smell magnify painfully. Going shopping was never something I found worth dealing with the overwhelming feelings for. So I didn't go."

His hand squeezed mine comfortingly, making me bring my eyes up to meet his. There was no judgement in his grey eyes, only understanding. "If you want I could accompany you to the shops in town? There are smaller ones we could go to and you could pick out a few more outfits and anything else you may need."

My first instinct was to refuse, I didn't like going out with people because they tended to stress me out even more while I tried to deal with all the overwhelming things around me. But Maximus wasn't like other people. He had proven that multiple times over the past week and it was time I started stepping out of my comfort zone again.

"I would appreciate that. Where do we go to turn American currency to Romanian and what is the exchange rate?" That was important and I felt disbelief that I hadn't thought to ask that before.

To my confusion, Maximus shook his head. That confusion melted at his next sentence to be replaced with disbelief. "No need, I'll buy you anything you want." Immediately, awkwardness swept over me. I had never been good at accepting presents or compliments from people.

"That isn't necessary, I do have money." I tried not to shift in my chair, that would broadcast my discomfort more than if I had outright said it. Maximus must have smelled it on me, because he crouched in front of me to meet my eyes.

"I know that you do and I know I don't have to. I like spoiling those I'm close to and you most definitely fall into that category. If you'd allow it, I would like to spoil you at least a little bit?" He had worded his sentence carefully to not make me feel pressured and I could see how much he wanted to do this. So with an internal sigh, I accepted.

"If you're sure, but please don't go crazy with it. I really don't want a lot of things. I just like your company." He beamed at me, the sight momentarily dazing me before he dropped a kiss to my cheek.

"And I love your company as well. I'll try to keep myself from going overboard, but you may have to tell me when I start getting excessive. As I said, I enjoy buying things for those I'm close to and you don't need to worry about my finances. After fighting as a soldier in the crusades, stockpiling money over the course of centuries due to not truly caring about what I owned, and now working for Vlad who pays handsomely I am more than financially stable."

It didn't matter to me if he was rich or poor, I still wasn't comfortable with him spending a lot of money on me. He must have seen that because he changed the subject. "The trip might have to wait a week or two, I need to get caught up on a few of my duties as well as talking with the guards."

I immediately nodded, not wanting him to feel pressured. "That's fine. I was planning on using only the clothes I brought with me anyway so it doesn't matter to me how long it takes."

While I didn't mind the delay on the trip to town, there was something that I was curious about. "Will you still be helping me find my way around? It's fine if you have other things to do! I was just curious."

Not to mention I might be disappointed if our time together was cut _too_ short. But if it was then I would smile and bear it. Maximus had a very important job here and I wasn't about to make it any more difficult on him than I already did by being here and interrupting his schedule.

Maximus shook his head, his grip tight but not uncomfortable. "Vlad put your well being as my priority until further notice, which means all of my previous duties have been delegated until he says otherwise. I just have a report I need to give him and I have to stop by the training again and demonstrate a few other tactics to the guards."

Relief immediately curled through me. I wasn't comfortable with the thought of a stranger leading me around, but I would have dealt with it if Maximus had been busy. "I'm glad."

The words slipped out before I could think better of it, and immediately I winced. That sounded bad. But before I could correct it, he smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "No need to panic, I know what you meant. I quite enjoy the thought of spending most of my time with you as well."

I relaxed as his thumb stroked my hand that he had yet to release. As I fought back a yawn, I remembered why I had wanted to get the unpacking done. I tugged his hand in the direction of the bed, "Speaking of time together, now that the unpacking is done how about we go back to bed?"

He stood from his crouched position, his hand still clasped around mine, and moved back toward the bed. "That is a delightful idea, I have a few more hours before I need to report what happened at the apartments to Vlad. Until then, I'm all yours."

Butterflies immediately sprang to life in my stomach but it didn't bother me anymore. They could be as energetic as they wanted, after all they were getting excited over Maximus and I could hardly fault them for it. I was already falling deeply for the man myself…


	15. Chapter 15

It was three weeks after our trip to the states when Maximus, Vlad, Leila and I were getting ready to head into town. Our trip got pushed back a few weeks thanks to Lance seemingly disappearing before Vlad's people could find him. He had sent multiple of his guards to find him, but no one knew where he went.

I tried to reassure myself that Maximus's ability would have wiped Lance's mind, meaning he wouldn't know where I was, but my paranoia wasn't easy to dismiss. Maximus had seen my fear over the past few weeks and had done his best to stay close. After the first few nightmares after hearing the news, he had practically moved into my room to help calm me down at night. Not that I was complaining about that, I definitely enjoyed waking up to him in the morning, and being wrapped into his arms was definitely my new favorite place to be. I just wish that the reason for his almost nightly sleepovers was more pleasant.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Leila and Vlad walked over to us, ready to head into town after dealing with some last-minute things. Originally the plan had been for only Maximus and I to go into town, but Leila had been wanting to spend more time with me lately. I hadn't even realized I had been spending most of my time with Maximus until she had pointed it out.

I had been so embarrassed, but when I tried to apologize she had brushed it off with a grin. She had just been happy we were hitting it off, she had said that there would be time to hang out and so we planned for today to be our group outing.

I tugged on the sleeves of the dress Leila gave me, nervous about more than just the outing. I usually didn't wear dresses thanks to them having the unfortunate side effect of getting caught in my wheels, but Leila had got it for me as a gift and it _did_ look cute… I would just have to do my best to keep it out of my wheels today.

Maximus came to my side, immediately redirecting my thoughts to him as he spoke. "We are all set if you are?" I managed a nod, forcing my nerves back to the best of my ability. He smiled down at me in understanding as his hands settled on my shoulders.

The familiar weight calmed me and when his fingers dug into the tense muscles behind my neck it was all I could do not to lean back against him and close my eyes. I heard two male chuckles, the second one making my cheeks flare.

I shot a weak glare at Vlad as I ducked my head to avoid Leila's gaze. He opened his mouth, the twist to his mouth alerting me that he was about to make a joke at my expense, only for Leila to lightly elbow him in reproach.

"Vlad, leave her alone. It's not like you don't have areas that you like to have rubbed, I just don't do it in public because you wouldn't like it." So saying, she raised a hand and went to wrap it into his hair with an impish grin, only for him to encase her hand and drop their interlocked fingers to their sides.

The grin was still on his face, but the corners softened as he smiled at Leila. "You've made your point, there is no need for a demonstration."

I bit my lip at the sight, I would never get tired of seeing them so happy together. I didn't know a lot about Vlad, but from what I knew about Leila's past she deserved her happy ending.

I glanced up at Maximus and found a similar smile on his face as he watched his friend dissolve into his own world with Leila. I squeezed his hand, redirecting his attention down to me as I gestured to the car. We should give them some privacy, but I couldn't get into the lifted car without help. The original car Maximus used on our date was low enough for me to get into easily, but with my dress on I doubted I could get into this car. Well, not without at least one accident.

He took the hint without me having to say anything, moving with me as I rolled to the car door. Maximus easily slid me out of my chair before putting me in the passenger seat, moving to fold up the chair and put it behind us. Once done, he got in the driver's side and waited for Vlad and Leila. I saw them separate from what seemed to be a passionate kiss before following us to the car.

Leila flashed me a sheepish smile from the backseat, "Thanks." She didn't need to say what for. I understood wanting some privacy with your significant other and it wasn't like they took a half-hour. I smiled back to reassure her.

"It was nothing to thank me for. I'm fairly certain you'd do the same for me." She grinned, her previous sheepishness gone as she nodded.

"Yup and I'll be sure to remember that for future reference when you need it." The thought of that future sent butterflies aflutter in my stomach. I wanted to believe that we would last for years and get to have times like that, but after years of hoping for things only for them to go belly up, I was wary of being hopeful. Losing things always hurt more if you really wanted them.

Maximus squeezed my hand, our combined grip lying calmly on the gear shift as he broke me out of my thoughts. Seeing his look of concern, I smiled at him. There was no reason to be pessimistic, I could enjoy this from day to day and hope that it lasted as long as possible. He returned his attention to the road but left our hands on the gear shift.

After I had mentioned my liking of holding his hand but not being able to do it while moving he had used any opportunity given to grab my hand. If he wasn't holding my hand then he had his hands on my shoulders, some part of him was always touching me and I loved it.

It seemed like no time at all before we pulled up outside of the shops. The small buildings lining the streets looked inviting and from what I could see they weren't overly packed, to my relief. The last thing I wanted to do was have an attack in front of Vlad and Leila.

While I didn't like having them in front of Maximus, he had proven adept at calming me down from them. It was massively relieving to know that even if I did have one in town, with Maximus there it didn't matter because he would calm me down and back any curious onlookers off. He was safe and he made anywhere we chose to go safe as well.

That was why I was okay with going out into an unknown town with him, despite refusing to do similar things with my own mother not three months ago. I knew that everything would be okay, one way or the other.

As I got comfortable in my chair again, I felt eyes on me and immediately tensed. That was one of the downsides to my disability, people stared as if they had never seen someone in a wheelchair before. It wasn't too bad when kids did it, they were usually just curious and I was happy to answer their questions but adults were more malicious.

I swept a glance through the surrounding crowd to see who, if anyone, was staring and locked eyes with a woman across the street from us. I couldn't see much of her features thanks to her mostly standing in the shadow, but from what I could see she seemed average. From her brown hair down to her nondescript clothes, but something about her eyes made the hair stand up on my arms.

"Zelda, are you alright?" I jerked around to look at a concerned Maximus. He must have been calling me for a while now, but I had been so focused on the woman I had missed it.

"I'm fine, I just thought I felt someone staring at me." He immediately did a scan of the street before shaking his head. I threw a glance over my shoulder and the woman was gone and so was the feeling I was being stared at.

Trying to shake off the paranoia and enjoy our outing, I grabbed his hand and tugged toward the shop Leila and Vlad already stood in front of. "It's fine, I was probably just imagining things."

Even as I said it, Vlad's eyes narrowed. He could read my mind so he knew what I thought I had seen. Deciding to send a thought his way I asked, _Was there a woman there before or am I going crazy?_

Vlad nodded behind Leila's back. Well, at least I wasn't going crazy… I shook it off and powered ahead when Leila called back asking what was taking me so long. We don't have a lot of time together so I should focus on having fun, not some curious stranger who was staring at me. She probably just thought I was someone she knew…

I put the thought out of my mind and followed my sister into the nearest shop with Vlad and Maximus trailing behind us.

The second we entered I was greeted with clothes of every color of the rainbow in any size you could possibly need. I'm not ashamed to say I froze as my eyes tried to take in everything around me at once.

I could feel myself getting dizzy from the sensory overload and the heavy perfume scent in the air. Just as I was moving to back out of the shop, familiar scarred hands settled on my shoulders. I looked up into calming grey eyes.

"Are you alright? You look a little dazed." I forced a smile and nodded. This poor man was going to be constantly concerned at the rate we were going...

"Yeah, there's just a lot to take in here and my head takes a bit longer to absorb all the information. I'll be fine, just stay close please?" He nodded promptly, but I knew that he would be watching me closer now. I bit back a sigh, I didn't want him to be worried about me. I really would be fine as long as we didn't get separated.

Leila's voice pulled me from my thoughts, "Hey Zelda, come look at this. I think it would look good on you." I wheeled myself over and nearly choked on air at what she was pointing to. It was an underwear set that was made of lace and thick straps of fabric that criss crossed around the hips and chest. It wasn't the most risque lingerie that I had ever seen, but I had never even thought of wearing anything like that.

When she looked at me expectantly, I sputtered out. "I'm not sure if I can pull something like that off…" She looked at me with confusion, which was flattering but it was also salt in the wound. I knew I wasn't anything to look at under my clothes. Years of muscle atrophy in my thighs had withered them and I hadn't bothered going to the gym so I was what most would consider pleasantly plump. But pleasantly plump would not look good in that underwear, not if it was me at least. I was sure other women could pull it off, just not me.

Leila's confusion was endearing, even as she asked. "If you're worried about anyone else seeing it you don't have to be. If you like how something looks then you can wear it under your pajamas or even under your regular clothes. No one but you has to know."

I bit my lip as she spoke, I had to admit I was tempted. The set she held out was cute, but the idea of sliding into them made my stomach roll. I had enough trouble getting into regular clothes and while the set was pretty all the straps would make it difficult. I had never thought about wearing lingerie before, even for myself, but now that she had mentioned it the idea stubbornly clung to my mind.

Seeing my uncertainty, Leila guessed at the reason. "If it's all the straps that you don't like there's another version without them?" I looked at the one she gestured to and felt slightly more confident when I saw it. It still looked nice and more importantly it looked like something I could get into with breaking my neck trying.

Leila took my silence as consideration and put the outfit down so I could feel it before grabbing a considerably more flashy one made mostly of leather. She made a face at the outfit, before turning when Vlad made a sound.

He didn't have to say anything, he just looked at the outfit she held meaningfully with the barest flash of green to his eyes. Leila's mouth twitched as she slung it over her arm with a smile and a shake of her head.

I watched as she made her way to the changing room to try it on, only to pause outside of it and look back at Vlad expectantly. He raised a brow at her, only for his eyes to turn street light green at her next words spoken with a crick of her finger. "Well, are you coming? If you want to see it then I need _your_ opinion on it before we get it."

His eyes burned with a truly impressive intensity and I caught myself imagining what I could wear that would turn Maximus' eyes that shade of green. I wish I could make him react like that…

Vlad stopped momentarily on his way to the dressing room, his eyes flicked over me before responding. "You are more than capable." My face flushed brilliant ruby as I remembered that he could read minds.

Even if I was attractive enough to pull that off, was it appropriate to buy something like that when Maximus spent most of his nights with me and he wasn't allowed to do anything more than look? I didn't want to tease the poor man, he was sweet to stay inside my boundaries and it would be rude to blatantly tease him with what he couldn't have.

A speculative hum from Vlad broke me from my train of thought and again I had to remind myself that he could hear my thoughts. I really needed to start watching what I think around this man…

He sent a jaded smirk my way before responding to my thoughts again, "Whether you think you are attractive or not, I can guarantee that Maximus would find you quite desirable in that or any other outfit you chose to wear. As for your other worry? While it is admirable of you to keep his stance in mind, he would have no problem with what you chose to wear or not wear. He knows what you're not comfortable with and, if you chose to wear such a thing, he would simply enjoy seeing you in it."

With that, Vlad sped into the dressing room behind Leila and clicked the door shut quietly. I could practically feel Maximus' eyes on me and when I glanced up I met his gaze.

His hand encased mine before he asked, "Are you reluctant to wear such things because you believe I would attempt to cross your boundaries?" There was an undertone of hurt that immediately made me answer.

"No! It's nothing like that at all. I just know that I'm not sexy and I don't want to waste time pretending that I am. Even if you did find me attractive in that way, I wouldn't want to tease you when you can't touch me in...intimate areas."

By the time I finished my face was crimson and the sentence trailed off, getting steadily quieter as I went. I jerked in surprise when Maximus crouched to meet my eyes in the next second. Before I could say anything, he interlocked our fingers and reassured me.

"You're wrong. You are mercilessly beautiful and I've already had to glare down multiple males who were eyeing you. If you don't want to wear lingerie that's fine, but don't stop yourself from buying something you like because you're under the impression you won't look good in it. As for your concern with my feelings on the matter, Vlad was right. While I would enjoy the sight of you in anything you chose to wear, I would never do anything you have already stated not being ready for. As long as you don't mind me devouring you with my gaze when we lie together, I have no problem with you wearing it with nothing more than cuddling promised."

His grey eyes had a flickering ring of emerald as he imagined me in what I assumed was the outfit Leila had picked out for me. With his compliments and his assurance that he would be more than fine with it, I made my decision.

I nodded up at him, "Alright, then I guess I'll get that one. I'll try it on now, that way if I don't like it I won't regret buying it later." Maximus smiled down at me, the sight equal parts reassuring and encouraging.

I started wheeling to the changing room before I could change my mind. The sight of Vlad leaving with a satisfied expression and Leila trailing behind him with a grin made the butterflies take flight again. Maybe Vlad was right, maybe I _could_ do that.

Transferring to the bench inside the room was easy, getting the lingerie on was not so much. By the time I managed it I felt like I had run a marathon, but the sight that met me in the mirror stopped any thoughts about the struggle.

I looked...completely different than I thought I would. While I wasn't the model kind of sexy most women pulled off in outfits like this, I had to admit that I did look nice. I still didn't like how my thighs looked, but there wasn't anything I could do about that so I shifted my attention to the door Maximus sat behind.

Was it any different if he saw me in it now versus waiting and having him see it in the bedroom? At least now if he didn't like it I wouldn't regret buying it. Swallowing my nerves, I called out after a breath. "Maximus?"

A curious affirmative was my answer and I forced the rest out. "Can you come in here? I want your opinion on it." The second that it took him to answer was one of the longest in my life.

"Absolutely but only if you're sure." After I agreed, I unlocked the door for him. The room felt considerably smaller after he folded himself through the door. The atmosphere charged with tension as he closed the door behind him and raked his gaze over me. I felt the heat rush to my head as he looked over every inch of flesh that was in front of him.

The previous thin ring of green I had noticed inched out until it completely covered his iris. The desire I could plainly see made my nerves melt. He actually _liked_ what he saw. My surprise must have been obvious because he rumbled in a voice like gravel. "You are a thing of beauty and this image will definitely be playing a part in my future fantasies."

I expected the thought to send dread through me, but it only made a heady warmth sit low in my stomach. I was actually looking forward to that… That revelation was almost as surprising as the fact that he found me attractive.

Before I could try to come up with something to say, he brought his hands down to cup my face to smoothly pull me into a kiss. His mouth stayed closed, giving me the choice of how far I wanted to take it. I only had to consider it for a moment before I carefully slid my tongue along the fold of his lips.

We hadn't done this too much since the first time on the plane, thoughts of Lance being out there somewhere had easily cooled any desire I would have had, but as the memory of his bright green eyes flaring with desire came back to me I knew that now was the right time.

His mouth opened without the hesitation of the first time, inviting me to explore to my heart's content and I wasted no time in accepting that invitation. His mouth had a slight tang that my brain immediately labeled as blood.

I ignored my instinctual aversion to the taste, choosing instead to focus on the sensations his tongue caused when it twined with mine. Just like before it was slimy and, after remembering him tilting my head last time, I repeated the movement.

Immediately our mouths slid together, this time I didn't flinch away from his probing tongue. After a second of consideration, I decided just this once I wouldn't worry about what-ifs.

I wound my tongue around his before sucking lightly. Maximus shuddered above me, his mouth opening against mine to release a low moan. I felt the vibrations against my mouth, the feeling, and the sound it came from sending a shot of molten heat down between my legs.

Oh, that was going to become one of my favorite sounds, I just knew it. Feeling emboldened, I did it again and got another groan that had my senses tingling. My hands came up to curl into his hair, using the leverage to drag him down onto me.

His knees hit the floor as his hands came to life. One wrapped into my hair while the other started stroking my jaw. His tongue returned the favor I had paid him, pulling a muffled moan from me. Briefly, I froze, I didn't even know I could _make_ that sound.

Maximus felt my hesitation and began to pull back, but I tightened my hold on him and dragged him into another kiss. So far I didn't feel even slightly uncomfortable and I was going to take advantage of that for however long it lasted to kiss him as many times as I could.

This new confidence was thrilling and I fed off of it as I released my hold on his hair to wrap my arms around his neck. One of his arms came down to wrap around my waist and pull me tighter to him. As I separated from him, my lungs demanding air despite my body's want to keep kissing Maximus, I glanced down and did a double-take.

It made sense that he was aroused, considering the heavy make-out session we had just had, and I was surprised to find myself not scared of the quite obvious bulge that tented the front of his pants. If we weren't in a changing room in a very public place, I might even be tempted enough to see how far I could push my boundaries. But we were in public, so I dragged my eyes up to Maximus who watched me with caution.

To put him at ease, I smiled while trying to get my breath back. "I'm not bothered by it, I can't rile you up like that and expect you not to react in _some_ way. It's actually really nice to know that I have that effect on you."

He relaxed against me, the previous tension calming down as I loosened my hold to a hug instead of the death grip I had on him before. I wasn't sure what else to say on the matter of his erection, or if I should say anything, so I switched the subject. "That...was one of the best things I've felt in my life and as long as you're okay with it I would like to do that many more times in the near future."

A slow grin crossed his face until he was beaming at me, "I am more than okay with doing that as many times as you want. Whenever you want that, just drag me down and have your way with me. I definitely won't complain."

His wording made my cheeks flush, but I grinned right back at him. For the first time in years I felt like a woman, not a victim of trauma, not an emotional basket case, but just a woman. The feeling was liberating.

"I'll keep that in mind. As much as I would love nothing more than to continue, we should really get back out to Vlad and Leila. I don't want to make them wait any more than they already have." I watched as Maximus took a deep breath to cool his arousal. His eyes shifted back to grey as the tent in his pants disappeared.

Once he was ready, he stood up while being careful to not knock into my chair. "You're right. We shouldn't keep them waiting, as much as I enjoyed that we still have an outing to go on." So saying, he dropped a kiss on my head before leaving me alone in the dressing room.

As I watched his muscled back leave, I let out a sigh of contentment as my head thumped back against the wall. I'm getting better, slowly but surely I am starting to be able to handle more. The thought made me giddy, a grin splitting my mouth as I bit back a fit of giggles. So this was what it felt like to be desired and return that feeling to your partner.

I like it.

As Maximus and I came out of the store with a bag of clothes resting in the pack of my chair, we saw Leila and Vlad curled together outside of the car. Leila had all of her weight leaned against Vlad, who didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he rested his chin on top of her head.

I smiled at my content looking sister, "Thanks for waiting." I felt my cheeks flush as I remembered earlier when it had been her telling me that. I hadn't expected to be saying it back so quickly…

She flashed a grin, proof that she was thinking along the same lines, before waving my thanks off. "Is there anything else you want to get while we're here?"

I shook my head, "No, I didn't even plan on getting the clothes, but Maximus insisted." Maximus went to open his mouth, only for Vlad to beat him to it.

"As he should have. Having a week's worth of clothes is impractical, especially when you have a significant other who can afford more." His tone said he had this argument before and by the look Leila shot him full of exasperation I got the feeling I knew who he had it with.

I turned to her and teased, "Is it normal for Romanian males to try to buy you mass amounts of clothes?"

She grinned at me as she answered, throwing a playful smirk over her shoulder at Vlad. "It appears so, it was for me at least. I managed to talk him down to half of what he originally tried to buy me, but he still slips in gifts every now and then."

We both managed to keep a straight face for a minute before we burst out laughing. When we had collected ourselves, Maximus tapped me on the shoulder.

"Do you have any hobbies that you need supplies for while we are in town?" It was sweet of him to ask, but I wasn't sure if I felt comfortable with him getting me anything else.

Leila must have caught on to that because she jumped in. "How about we make that a different trip? We could make a day out of it and explore the different shops?"

I jumped on the out, nodding in relief as we made our way back to the car. Just as we were a few yards from it, my wheels snagged the end of my dress. I barely managed to stop myself in time before the dress twined further into my wheels. As it was, I bit my lip as I tried to figure out how to untangle it without ripping the dress.

I felt embarrassment drown me as I ducked my head. I had almost managed to have a successful outing in a dress without there being an incident.

Maximus knelt beside me and examined the mess before smiling at me reassuringly. "This should only take a moment if you'll allow me?"

I nodded and watched as he carefully untangled the dress from my chair. In no time he was finished and standing up again. I pulled the edge up to clear the wheels and shifted to follow Leila, only to freeze at a voice behind us.

"I can't believe that you lowered your standards so far as to fuck a _gimp,_ Maximus." The voice was haughty and it made every bit of confidence I have shrivel.

Half of me wanted to turn around and confront the woman, but the other half wanted to hide from the unexpected hostility. The other half won. I ducked my head as I tried to move behind Maximus, the gimp comment hitting too close to home.

Before I could get far, Maximus' hand on my shoulder stopped me. His voice rang out above me, his tone as hard as granite. "My standards haven't lowered, Amelia. As a matter of fact, since our unfortunate coupling, my standards have risen quite a bit. And she is not a _gimp_, you will do well to remember that or I will see to it that you do."

His defense of me sent a shot of warmth through me even as his words sank in. Our unfortunate coupling. They had slept together. The thought that this woman had been with Maximus in such an intimate way, a way that I couldn't even dream of without a panic attack taking hold, made the contents of my stomach sour.

Even though I knew I would regret it, I lifted my head to look at who his previous lover had been. The instant I laid eyes on her I felt all the confidence I had felt in the dressing room die. She was model sexy, thin but not overly so, with curves in all the right places. And with a jolt, I realized that she was the same person I had seen lurking in the shadows earlier. The one I had felt staring at me. Now that she was in the sunlight I could see how un-ordinary her looks were.

She sent a scathing look down my body that I could almost feel before Maximus stepped in front of me to block me from her poisonous eyes. Her voice was sickly sweet when she spoke, "Threatening me over this scrap of a woman? I was merely pointing out the obvious, no need to become so defensive. She must be magical in bed to have you so protective. Tell me, does she do that thing that you like-"

I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach as bile tried to crawl up my throat. Her taunting words making tears sting my eyes as she began to detail things I didn't want to imagine her doing with Maximus. The images sparking something primal in me that wanted to rip apart any body part that had touched Maximus.

I had never felt territorial like this and it scared me, but that fear was pushed to the side under the sick feeling the images gave me. The things she was describing were ones I wasn't sure I could _ever_ do. Just the thought of trying them made me feel faint.

Her voice suddenly cut off with a choked gasp. I looked up through blurry eyes to see Vlad to my right and Leila to my left. Looking over to the woman, I bit back my own gasp.

Maximus had punched her, the force sending her skidding back before she caught herself. Her blazing green eyes looking at him in pure disbelief. I was staring at him with the same look, I was sure. He had been adamant that he wouldn't hit an unarmed woman when we had discussed his training and yet he had just done that. Why?

Vlad answered my unasked question. "Because she was hurting you. She knows what she is doing and Maximus will never stand for someone to hurt you like that in his presence. That viciousness is what made Maximus break it off with her a decade ago. She would become insanely jealous of any woman even looked at him for too long. She is far out of line today, and it is his decision on how he wants to deal with her."

I swallowed to relieve my suddenly dry throat. I had never expected Maximus to go so far in defending me against someone's taunts. While I was a bit overwhelmed with the entire situation and the unexpected hostility, his protectiveness chased away some of the chills from the heavier feelings.

When I saw him about to stalk forward for round 2, I rolled up behind him. I knew he would hear me, with his hearing it was impossible for him not to. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his back. He stiffened in my arms, but I didn't loosen them.

I looked past him to where the woman had frozen solid, her eyes never leaving Maximus' form as he tensed to have another go at her. She looked afraid and a small part of me was satisfied with that, but I quickly shook that part to the side. I should never be satisfied with someone else's fear, I had been the one afraid too many times to take pleasure out of it.

I focused on the solid body in my arms, unlike usual he hadn't relaxed any when I hugged him. I tried to soothe him with my voice next, "Maximus, she's not worth it. You aren't someone who would beat an unarmed woman who is far below your skill level. Don't let her make you into that person now."

While her words and the thoughts she had planted in my head still made my stomach turn, I didn't want to see him bloody his hands over her. He was better than that. I knew he was and so did he, as soon as he calmed down enough to think.

One of his hands rested over mine on his abdomen, interlocking our fingers as he slowly calmed down. I tightened my arms around him, leaning my head against his back as I spoke again. "Please Maximus, I just want to go back and relax with you. If you waste time with her then we won't be back in time for our dinner plans." Our dinner plans were just a movie and whatever he felt like making, but the reminder of what we had waiting at home seemed to do the trick.

He slowly calmed, his hand stroking my fingers as he spoke to Amelia in a scathing tone. "If she wanted it, I would deliver your head to her feet for that insult. But, luckily for you, she isn't that kind of person. You are well aware of what kind of person _I _am, so have care with how you speak of her. Next time I _will_ remove your head from your shoulders."

The woman didn't react to his threat besides a slight paling, something I wasn't aware vampires could do before now. Maximus turned around and enveloped me in a hug. Suddenly being pressed against his stomach instead of his back took me by surprise before I returned his hug. By the fine tremor that was still going through him, I would guess he was resisting the urge to go back and do bodily harm to the woman.

Vlad had told me about vampire instincts and how overwhelming they could get. It wasn't surprising that Maximus was so affected when I considered what Vlad had told me. But in the hopes of avoiding any bloodshed, I cuddled into his stomach and wrapped my arms around him again.

I only let go when the tremors stopped and he looked down at me with sharp grey eyes. A small, hard smile twisted his lips. "I am calm now, you can let go. You wanted to get back right? Do you have an idea of what you want for dinner?"

I relaxed as he spoke, the questions telling me more than anything that he really was calm again. I shook my head, "Nothing jumps out, so I'm happy with anything."

Maximus gently gripped my hand as we walked back to the car. Vlad looked at Amelia with a hard stare before gesturing for Maximus and I to continue on.

I went to voice my disapproval, but Vlad cut me off. "You may not deem it necessary but you are my sister in law through Leila and any disrespect given to you by my people stretches to me as well. I can't allow that."

Biting my lip, I nodded. I didn't understand all these new rules but if Vlad said this was something he had to do, then I couldn't stop him. But I _could_ get Maximus out of here before he decided to join Vlad in whatever he was going to do.

Vlad nodded, snapping something in Romanian that Maximus gave a sound of affirmation to. After he helped me get situated in the passenger seat, I glanced at Leila who watched her husband with rapt attention.

When I asked if she was coming, she shook her head. "I'll wait for him, you go back. We shouldn't be too far behind you."

I didn't like leaving them behind, but again I agreed while trusting their judgment and Maximus started the drive back to the castle.

The air was heavy with tension, but it wasn't like our earlier one that made me want to kiss him. No, this was heavier and as the images flashed across my mind again I had to swallow back the bile.

The car pulled to a stop on the side of the road, immediately bringing my attention to Maximus as he gripped the steering wheel so tightly I was amazed it didn't break. Before I could ask if he was alright, he beat me to it.

"Zelda, are you alright? I saw the way you went white as a sheet when _she_ said those things." He spoke in a carefully controlled tone that made me wary. Why was he walking on eggshells with me?

"I can't say I'm totally fine with what just happened." The images flashed again, reminding me of her words and what they had done together. It had been over a decade ago, I wasn't going to blame him for that.

His voice came again, dragging my attention to him. His words completely gobsmacked me, the pain in them tearing at my heart. "I completely understand if you want to end things after this."

Tears filled my eyes, I could _feel_ the pain that was in that sentence and it was all I could do not to lunge across the seats to wrap him into a hug. I settled for gripping his hand, "What are you talking about Maximus? I would never end things with you over an ex throwing a hissy fit."

He visibly deflated with relief, turning to meet my eyes for the first time since we entered the car. The grey pools swam with his relief and something else I couldn't name.

"After you had to hear some of the..._activities_ we did I wasn't sure if you would still want to be with me. I know that you are uncomfortable with things like that and I will never expect anything that you don't offer. You have to believe that." His eyes begged me to say I did, an easy thing to say since it was the truth.

While the thought of anyone else's hands on him was enough to make me want to rage or cry, it didn't affect how I felt for him. He was almost one thousand years old, I couldn't expect him not to have lovers before me. It was unrealistic.

If I had a problem with that then I would just have to muddle through. I refused to put that blame on him for wanting companionship in his long life. I made sure to tell him that, "I can't say I liked hearing what she was saying and I definitely didn't like thinking about you two… doing that. But it was years ago and I won't hold that against you. It would be cruel of me to be angry with you because you're not a virgin. It doesn't matter what you two did, because you're with me now and I trust you. I know that you're faithful and that's all that matters."

A strangled sound came from Maximus before he shifted sideways in his seat, reached over the gear shift, and picked me up. Before I could even squeak in surprise, I was in his lap. His arms wrapped around me, dragging me against his chest, as he buried his nose into my hair.

I could practically feel his relief and the extreme reaction sent a spear of pain into my chest. What had he expected me to do? Just break it off with him as if he meant nothing to me because one of his exes was rude?

It hit me in the next instant that yes, that is exactly what he had expected. My heart twisted in my chest and I gently pulled back from him enough to see his face. The echoes of past pain that showed clearly further proved what I had already guessed. His words from over a month ago came back, "I know what it's like being used as an instrument of pleasure". Had no one in this man's life cared for him past what he could do in the bedroom?

Determination blazed through me, it didn't matter if no one else had because I _would_. Every day that we were together I would do my best to make up for the years he had to deal with those people that took him for granted. They were all fools to overlook how special he was, but their loss is my gain and I would be sure he knew just how much he meant to me.

"It probably sounds horrible, but I'm glad that you hadn't found anyone who wasn't an idiot. If you had found a halfway decent person, then we might not have gotten together. It's selfish but I'm glad that we met and I like what we have. I don't want anyone else to have that with you."

Maximus caught my face in his hands, the kiss he bestowed on me was intense without an ounce of sexual intent. When he pulled back to let me breathe, he looked at me with such adoration that it took my breath away again. His words wrapped around my heart like a heated blanket, making me feel all warm and fuzzy.

"I'm not a virgin and I haven't been in over seven centuries, but the intimacy we have is more special to me and more intense than anything I have ever done with anyone else before you. I have never simply laid next to someone because they wanted my company, or because I made them feel safe. And I can say with confidence that I enjoy one night of laying with you in my arms more than the entirety of the sexual acts Amelia and I did in our relationship. All the previous relationships I've had have been shallow in comparison to the emotional depth ours has and we've only been together a month. You may not be my first sexual experience, but you are definitely my first meaningful relationship, and that means something to me."

My heart constricted as I soaked in his words. Suddenly the images that the woman had planted in my head before didn't bother me. So what if she had slept with Maximus? He had made it clear she nor anyone else would do so again and that was all that mattered. Our relationship was more intimate than that and if, when, we got to that point it would be an experience to trump all others.

I dragged him into another kiss, my emotions overflowing as I tried to put them into words. What I settled on was wildly inadequate, but it would have to do. "It means something to me too."


	16. Chapter 16

I watched as Leila hung the paper strands I had made earlier in the day. It had chafed that I had to ask her for help setting up Maximus's surprise party. I had originally planned to do all of it alone and surprise him that way, but I had quickly realised that I couldn't reach high enough to put the streamers and paper chains up.

Which is how I found myself sitting by the table with his present wrapped carefully on top, as Leila put up the last of the decorations. Once done, she grinned at me. "He's going to love this, I know it."

My nerves had been on fire ever since I had gotten this idea so I hoped she was right. I mean, he _was_ almost a millennium old so these homemade decorations were a bit childish for him. I forcibly shook myself from my doubts, Maximus wasn't the type to put something down because it wasn't what most would consider appropriate for his age.

I gave a weak nod while my stomach tied itself into knots. Leila's grin softened into a smile of understanding. Her hand gripped mine in comfort, "It's okay. I know how nerve wrecking it is to try something new for an older than most civilizations vampire. I can tell you with confidence that he will love it. Maximus adores you and he hasn't shied away from sentiment yet. I'm going to leave you to it and make sure none of the staff bother you. You can go to the kitchen when you're hungry, that way if you two decide to turn it into a movie night they won't disturb you."

I bit back tears of gratitude for her words and her comfort. She was really going all out to help me and I appreciated it. "Thank you, I'm glad that you found me trying to set this up because it would have sucked without you." That was true, the decorations looked a lot better with her putting them up.

She shrugged, "It's not like it's that big of a thing but you're welcome. Now, I will make myself scarce, Vlad should be headed this way with Maximus now."

That had been another thing I had needed Leila's help for. I hadn't been sure how to keep Maximus away from my side long enough to set the decorations up, but she had enlisted Vlad. It had been odd, when she had explained what I was doing Vlad had gotten a pained look on his face briefly before he agreed. It had almost looked apologetic.

My train of thought was broken when I heard footsteps, knowing it could only be Maximus I rolled back and forth nervously. It was showtime.

I didn't bother turning the light out since he could see perfectly in the dark, so I could see his facial expressions when he entered.

At first he pulled up short, his mouth twisting in confusion as he took in the decorations. Only for delight to replace it when he read the banner above the table. I grinned at him while hoping my nerves didn't show. "Happy Birthday, Maximus!"

He crossed the room in two easy strides, my room wasn't that big so it didn't take a lot of effort on his part. He wrapped his arms around me before sliding a kiss across my forehead. His voice rumbled as he breathed into my ear. "Thank you, I never thought you would do something like this when you asked about my birthday last week."

It hadn't been easy planning everything in such little time, but the beaming grin he wore made it worth it. "You deserve to be spoiled too." His mouth twitched in amusement but he didn't dispute my words. Instead his eyes drifted to the box behind me and lit up with excitement.

He reminded me of a kid in that instant, the sight making giddiness light inside me. I was so happy I could make him feel jubilant over this. Next year I would have to come up with a way to top it, but for now I reached back to grab the present and hand it to him.

I had really been stuck on what to get him since he could buy anything he wanted for himself, but I was fairly confident that he would like it. As he tore into the paper, my nerves disappeared. His mouth stretched into a breathtaking smile before the scraps of paper could reach the floor.

He held the painting gingerly, as if afraid to break it. I hadn't painted in a long time, but when he had mentioned wishing he had a picture of his mother before her illness had ravaged her, I knew I had to try. He had drawn out a basic outline and given me details, but he hadn't known I was going to use them for this.

If the shine to his eyes was any indication, I had been right on the money for my gift idea. He carefully put the painting to the side, before he bent to my level. In the time it took me to breath, his mouth was on mine in a claiming kiss that made my toes curl.

When we pulled back a few minutes later, I gasped out while pulling air back into my lungs. "I wasn't sure if the details would be right or not but I wanted to try." His fingers combed through my hair, the feeling making me shut my eyes in enjoyment before his voice dragged me back to the present.

"There are some details that aren't right, but you captured what I described perfectly and I can't express how much it means to me that you thought to do this." His words rang with his sincerity and I was glad I convinced myself that it was a good idea. I hadn't been too sure at first. We have only been together for a few months, I didn't know if he would take offense to me prodding into his past like that but luckily for me he loved it.

I wrapped my arms around him and returned his hug as all of my previous nerves melted away. My first attempt at a surprise for him had been a wild success and I couldn't wait to plan more. I had been half tempted to add flower petals or something on the floor or table but I was worried that might send the wrong message. I also didn't know what flowers he liked, if he liked any at all.

I _had_ however put a movie on for us to watch, but first… When Maximus went to pull away, I tightened my arms and burrowed closer into his shoulder. I felt his chuckles against my neck, but they cut off sharply when I gently pressed his mouth further into my throat. We hadn't discussed the subject of him drinking from me before, but I had been thinking about it over the last week. There wasn't a real reason to not allow him to feed from me, so why shouldn't I offer it?

Leila had told me that it felt amazing to be bit and I ...wanted him to bite me, as odd as that thought was. A part of me wanted to belong to him like that, but I wasn't sure how to word that. So I settled for a physical demonstration and hoped he got it.

By the shudder that went through him and the slow slide of his stubble against my neck, I'd say he got the message. His breath tickled when he asked, "Are you sure? Leila explained what me biting you means, right?"

I nudged my nose against the spot on his collar I knew was sensitive, pulling a muffled hiss from him when I placed a kiss on it. "Yes, she told me that it makes me yours in the vampire world and I want that. I trust you and I want to be considered yours in all the different ways I can be."

He bit back a groan, making me smile at his reaction. Apparently he liked the thought of my belonging to him just as much as I did. Before my next blink, Maximus shifted me into his arms and walked over to the bed before sitting on its edge.

He explained before I could ask why he moved us, "I want to hold you when I bite you and I can't do that in your chair." I nodded, that made sense and I certainly didn't mind. I curled against his chest to prove that, feeling his muscles practically vibrating with excitement against me.

He lowered his mouth to my throat, his fangs scraping my neck before he suddenly froze. He pulled back harshly, making me jerk in surprise. "What's wrong?" He looked pained as he forced himself to stop, confusing me until he answered.

"Leila must not have mentioned the effects of our bite when she explained. Our venom contains an arousing chemical that _will_ make you feel aroused, whether you are comfortable with it or not. I'm glad I remembered before I bit you. I don't want to force you to feel anything you're not ready to yet."

Understanding dawned, Leila _had_ told me that but I hadn't known that she meant his bite would be _arousing_. I just thought she meant it didn't hurt… I chewed my lip as I considered my options. We hadn't explored how far we could go yet in terms of physical affection, that day in the dressing room had been as far as we had managed without me panicking. I had wanted to explore more then, but ever since his ex's words my unexpected confidence hadn't appeared again.

I hadn't felt arousal at all before I dated Maximus, the few times I was forced with Lance hadn't made me feel anything good for obvious reasons. How would I react to it now? I seemed okay in the dressing room and I had definitely felt something then. But even if I was fine with it, would it lead anywhere?

I knew I wasn't ready for sex, that I could say with certainty. But what was there besides that we could do? Seeing Maximus's resolved expression when he sat back is what made my decision for me. "I don't think I'll have a problem with _feeling_ it with you. The few times Lance...forced me, I didn't feel anything good so I have no bad experience to link that arousal to. If you did bite me and I enjoyed it, what would we do then?"

I grimaced at my confusing wording. Maximus stared intently at me as if he wasn't quite sure what I had meant. He proved that when he said, "We would do what you wanted and nothing more."

I felt my frustration bubble as I tried to put words to my thoughts, "I know that you would never push me, but what all _is_ there that we can do? I know I'm not ready to go all the way, but I don't know what there is before that. What can we do to test how much I can handle without it being all or nothing?"

Maximus wrapped me back into his arms as my frustration rose, his fingers kneading my back to calm me down. After a minute of his touch I was calm again, but no less lost. Thankfully, he had an answer for that too.

"There are a wide range of things we _can_ do that don't involve sex, or even being naked. I believe the one that would be easiest for us to try to test the waters so to speak would be pleasuring one another without intercourse. If you wanted, you could touch me anywhere just to see how you react. Or if you'd prefer I could do the same to you. That could give you an idea of what you are and are not okay with, without pushing past any if you would prefer, we could explore while both of us are fully clothed."

He trailed off, waiting as I absorbed the information. I shifted awkwardly on his lap as his words made a flush crawl up my neck. I ignored my embarrassment, I am a grown woman and I was going to talk about this with him like one.

The thought of him touching me wasn't scary, if anything it sounded appealing and the thought of touching _him_ was down right fantastic. I may not be ready for doing that while naked, but maybe…

"Can we try it clothed and see what happens?" He had mentioned that we could do it clothed, so maybe we can try that and go from there.

His eyes were the brightest green I had seen yet and it made pride flare in my chest that I was the one to cause it. His words ignited my nerves again for a whole new reason. "Absolutely. Clothed also has the bonus of being easy to pull away from if you do have a problem with it."

To prove that point, he shifted me until I rested further onto his lap and ground up against my butt. The hard length under me made sparks shoot through my lower half, pulling a shiver from me as I gripped his arm to steady myself.

He stayed still and watched my reactions, his sharp eyes tracking each movement as I straightened against him. I _definitely _liked that and wasted no time in telling him so, "If it feels like that then I wholeheartedly approve."

He grinned, the expression more affection and lust than amusement. "It will feel like that and so much more, and I can't wait to guide you through every step there is."

The words sent pleasant shivers down my spine as my hands rested against his chest. As I leaned my head forward against his shoulder and shifted my neck to give him better access, I smiled at the moan he let loose. Yup, definitely a new favorite sound.

This time when his teeth scraped lightly across my skin, he didn't pull back. He slid his tongue over the skin, the rough texture making me shiver and pull closer. After a final lick, he gently slid his fangs into the prepped flesh and my world exploded with sensations.

I was dimly aware of a choked gasp that sounded like it came from me, but I was too distracted by the pure fire that was moving through my veins to care. The feeling started from his bite and worked its way out, slowly crawling across the rest of my neck. I shuddered against him when he took his first mouthful. The suction was slow and it sent another shock of arousal straight down between my thighs.

I pushed my neck further into his mouth as I let out a moan, the sound spurring him on to take another mouthful. If this was what it always felt like then he could bite me anytime, I was more than okay with it. Each swallow sent another wave of lust through me until I was shifting my thighs together in an attempt to relieve the ever growing tension.

Maximus caught the movement and pulled back from my neck, to my vocal protest. He held my shoulder to stop me from pushing it back against his mouth and looked at me with eyes so bright that it hurt to look at them.

His words were a feral growl, "I could bring you to orgasm using just my bite and if that is what you want then say so, but that isn't what we agreed to. If you want to explore then we need to do so now before I make your decision for you. Rest assured if you choose my bite to be what brings you to your peak, I will enjoy every second of watching you come unraveled in my lap."

I felt all the heat curling in my loins shoot up to my head. The lethargic feeling from his bite left, leaving only desire for him in its wake. I gasped out, "Can I take a rain check on that?"

He laughed throatily, the sound shaking me from my place on his lap. "You may most definitely have a rain check." He didn't say anything else as he carefully lowered both of us down to the bed with me on top of his chest.

The air felt charged with the emotions I could see in his eyes as I shifted to lie centered on top of him instead of lop sided. Our legs entangled as I slid between his thighs, the junction of our groins pressing together sending another round of fire through me, but this time it wasn't caused by his bite.

For the first time I got a feel for his length as it rubbed against my center. I bit back a gasp as I shuddered and rocked into the motion, pulling a moan from Maximus. As if I needed extra incentive to continue what we were doing…

I dove my hands into his hair as I yanked him to me for a kiss. His usual composure was long gone as he plundered my mouth and took all that was there as his. I had no complaints as I rolled my hips down against him, the tension building into something I had never felt before as his bulge strained against his pants fabric and rubbed sensually between my legs.

I gasped as something bigger started building, it felt sharp and powerful. It scared me a bit as I choked out, "Maximus!" He shuddered underneath me, his head thrown back as his green eyes locked to mine.

He stroked my face, trailing his hand up into my hair as he soothed, "You've never felt this before?" I managed a slight head shake as I felt that something approaching faster and faster with every rolling thrust against me.

He pulled me into a possessive kiss before growling, "Good. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll feel something even better in just a minute."

Before I could ask what he was talking about, he rested both his hands on my hips and dragged me down against him as he thrust up. I felt a tidal wave of sensations slam through me as he kept rocking against me, each press sending a new round of shudders through me.

The feeling left me gasping for breath as it rolled through my groin. I let out a choked shout as it finally broke over me, turning my vision white and yanking an animalistic sound from my throat. My hips kept jerking against his, each thrust slid against my clothed sex and sent more mind numbing pleasure through me as I came down from whatever that was.

I dazedly looked at Maximus whose mouth was twisted into a harsh expression I would have called pain if I didn't know better. As his bulge rocked into me again, I had a voracious need to bring him to the same earth shattering pleasure he had given me.

My muscles felt like jello as I balanced my elbows on his chest, he momentarily slowed thinking I was calling a halt to our activities. I could see the arousal in his eyes and feel the molten steel between my legs, but despite that he was gearing up to make himself stop because he thought it was what I wanted.

I felt my heart expand in my chest, I was falling hard and fast for this man with no desire to stop myself. When he went to halt, I thrust down against him and pulled a hiss of surprise from his lips.

I grinned at his look of utter amazement as I started a fast paced rocking against him, "I'm not stopping until you white out too." I wasn't sure if that was the correct term for the pleasure I had felt but I didn't care and by his groan I doubted that he cared either.

I braced my hands on his shoulders and lifted my upper body so I could watch his expressions as he came undone. It was exhausting to use the muscles of my thighs so much, but I didn't care about the mild soreness I would feel later. If that was the price for putting the expression of pure desire that was currently on his face there then I would happily pay it over and over again.

His hips slid perfectly between mine now that my thighs were centered properly and his reaction to the position change was noticeable. He threw his head back, the golden hair catching the light and forming a halo behind him, and let out a long moan. Underneath me I felt his length stiffening further. It sent a different type of excitement through me as Maximus started shaking.

I could feel that white out feeling approaching him too and picked up my pace, grabbing his hands and putting them on my hips to give him leverage to thrust up. He wasted no time in utilizing his new vantage point. His fingers splayed across each of my hip points, the muscles in his hand working as he yanked me down to meet his thrusts.

The tension snapped as he threw his head back one last time with a shout that I didn't understand, the unfamiliar Romanian words going right over my head. His hips jolted against my thighs as he rode out his peak as an unfamiliar wetness seeped through the front of his pants.

I watched breathlessly as he shuddered below me, the sight of his jerking and twitching body making a grin pull across my mouth. I would have to do this again soon because I _loved_ the sight of him coming apart so completely underneath me.

Seeing my usually composed and calm partner so wrecked was another form of arousing in and of itself. One that I would be repeating as many times as possible in our relationship and I doubted that Maximus would mind helping me with that goal.

His eyes flicked open, the stormy grey color back now that his arousal had cooled. I smiled dreamily down at him, "Can we do that again?" He chuckled as his arms opened for me to drop into, which I did happily. I needed to work out more if this was going to become a common activity between us. My arms and thighs were complaining fiercely and I couldn't bring myself to care.

"We can absolutely do that again, as many times as you want in any position you choose." I let a happy humm pass my lips as I cuddled against his chest. The sticky wetness that had seeped through his pants coated mine, joining the mess I could feel in my own underwear.

I didn't care for _that_ feeling, but it wasn't irritating enough for me to bother going and changing right this instant. Instead, I elected to ignore it. Some of my thoughts must have shown on my face, because Maximus asked, "Do you want to change or shower?"

The thought of showering in front of him doused my warm and fuzzy feeling. Showering wasn't as sexy as in the movies when I had to sit down on a bench for it. I had made major strides in our physical relationship, but I wasn't ready for that. "Nah, I'm comfortable and I'm not ready for you to see me naked yet."

He ran a hand through my hair, making me lean into him as he spoke. "I know that, I wasn't offering a shared shower. I meant would you like me to leave for you to change or shower."

The thought of sending him away after what we had just done sat wrong with me. I may not have any experience with this but having your partner leave the room afterward so you could change didn't sound like it sent a good message.

I shook my head, tightening my arms around him to keep him cuddled against me. "No, I don't want you to leave. It isn't that important, unless it's irritating you?" I would let him up if it was, but I really just wanted to bask in the new progress we had made and our new closeness.

Thankfully, Maximus settled further into the bed instead of moving to stand. "It's nothing I can't ignore and I find myself wanting to enjoy this position for awhile longer. If you start to feel uncomfortable, let me know and I will move."

I hummed, dropping a kiss against his clothed chest before trailing up to his neck and nuzzling back in. His birthday had gone even better than I had ever dared to hope and as he wrapped himself around me I drifted into a state of contentment. My last solid thought for the next few hours was that I hoped the rest of our relationship went this smoothly.


	17. Chapter 17

I relaxed back against Maximus' chest, the movie playing in the background only half holding my attention as I curled closer. It had been a few weeks since his birthday and the first major stride we had made in our physical relationship and ever since that night I had been itching to try it again.

The sight of him jerking uncontrollably underneath me still played in my mind, the memory quickly becoming the main star of my dreams. Before dating Maximus I had never thought I would experience what a wet dream was. It had come as a major surprise as over the last few weeks I had several of them, with varying intensities. The first time I had woken up from an intense dream of what happened between Maximus and I, I had been so surprised that by the time I had snapped out of my amazement I had mostly cooled down.

By the second time, the confusion was gone and I felt the full impact of the dream. I had nearly woken Maximus then and there to see how far I could push myself, but I refrained. While I was sure he wouldn't mind being woken up for that kind of thing, he had been running himself ragged lately as it was and he needed his sleep.

Between the dates he insisted we go on at least once a week, training the guards, and the tasks Vlad assigned him daily Maximus barely had a minute to rest lately. This was the first time in the past week I had managed to convince him to skip going out for a date and instead stay in to curl up and watch a movie together. He still insisted on cooking dinner afterwards, but if my plans went as I wanted them to then he would have other things on his mind instead of cooking.

Now the hard part, figuring out how to go about doing this. I had considered bringing it up and talking about it, but no matter how I thought it over I had no idea how to word what I wanted without it coming out sounding like an idiot. I doubted that he would mind if I took the initiative, at least Vlad seemed certain when he had overheard my plotting a few days ago. I still couldn't look him in the eyes but his reassurance that Maximus wouldn't mind had gone a long way in boosting my confidence.

But that still left me with the problem of how to instigate things… Do I just grab him? Is that too forward? What if he isn't in the mood? He had been working a lot lately…

As my doubts climbed ever higher I felt my nerves being to smother my confidence. No, I wouldn't back out again. If I was backing out it would be because I didn't want to do this, not because I chickened out from listening to my doubts.

Determination set, I glanced up at Maximus whose eyes were half lidded as he watched the movie. Feeling my gaze on him, he looked down and smiled. I felt the flush spread through my cheeks and settle in my chest. This man was too adorable for his own good, or mine for that matter.

Smiling back, I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled myself up to rest higher on his chest, making reaching his mouth easier. He let out a contented hum as our mouths slid together, the familiar warmth spreading through my lower half as his tongue found its way into my mouth.

While he was distracted, I took the chance to start my plans. My hand slowly slid down his chest from its resting place on his shoulder. His muscles bunched under my palm as I trailed my nails lightly across the soft material of his shirt.

My eyes flicked open to watch his reaction as I traced down to his jeans. The minute I had seen him in them that morning I knew that today was going to be the day I tried to further our physical relationship. They hugged his hips in such a way that the fire in my stomach blazed hotter than ever, as if it were alerting me to the fact that while it had been temporarily doused from my trauma it was by no means dead.

The tight jeans left no doubt about his attraction to me now, the obvious bulge in the front that was steadily thickening giving further kindling to my arousal. As my hand grazed the material that restrained his groin, he dragged in a choked hiss of breath as his eyes snapped open.

The grey eyes bore into mine as he watched my hand cup his groin, stopping momentarily to gauge his reaction. When he spoke next, his caring shone through every syllable, "Are you sure? I am happy to wait longer if that's what you want."

He would never know how nice it was when he said things like that, but in this case it wasn't necessary. "I'm sure and I know that if I get overwhelmed, I can stop. I don't want to wait, while I'm still not ready to go the full way I do want to become more familiar with your body. All of your body."

His eyes turned streetlight green in the time it took me to blink and the sight brought satisfaction to me. It was nice to know I could have this effect on him, it made my doubts easier to ignore when they raised their ugly heads. His nod pulled my attention back to the present and sent a thrill of excitement through me. I had his go ahead, now it was up to me how far I wanted to take this.

Even when we had just begun our relationship and I was still wary of touching him more than platonically I had been curious about his equipment in this area. The few times I have seen a male's penis haven't been pleasant by any means, but this time would be different. This time I was willing and I cared about Maximus, I wanted to know everything about him and this was an important part of him.

I wanted to know all the different ways to make him come apart and since I couldn't go all the way yet, that meant I needed to get "hands on" experience, literally, with his shaft to find out what he liked. I didn't find myself minding the thought and I doubted that he would either.

"Do you want me to remove my pants or keep them on?" His question brought my attention back up to his eyes that hadn't lightened from their brilliant green in the slightest. After a moment of thought I wrapped my fingers into his belt loops and gently dragged the fabric lower on his hips, stopping when I had to shift positions to better slide them.

Now I sat further down on the bed while he leaned up against the headboard, his eyes riveted to me as I went back to tugging down his jeans. While they looked fantastic on him, practically painted on as they were, their tight fit made removing them difficult. "Can you lift your hips?"

I knew that I could just sit back and let him remove them, but it seemed more intimate if I did it. He didn't say anything other than to abide, the new angle allowing me to slide the pants down by his belt loops until I had them as far down as I could get them from my current position. While I would prefer to be able to slide them all the way off without help, I would have to do some creative shifting to make that work so this time I would keep it simple. "Can you..?"

Thankfully he didn't make me finish that question, shifting his legs to kick off the pants completely thus leaving him in his boxers. Part of me had expected him to not wear underwear, but now that I thought about it that may be painful with the jean zipper being directly over his most sensitive area.

The material was stretchy and cool against my hand as I curled my fingers in the waistband, taking one last glance up at his face before rolling them down over his hips, leaving them at his knees for him to remove.

His penis was still half soft but I could see that it was quickly thickening and the sight made my mouth and certain other things water. I hesitated a minute as I tried to figure out how to go about doing this, before mentally shrugging and deciding to wing it.

My hand wrapped around the base, the action pulling a muffled hiss from Maximus as he shuddered under my hand. Guess I didn't have to ask if that was okay…

Taking a breath, I explored the texture of his shaft slowly, taking in the feel of his skin and how it slid with my hand as I stroked. Dimly I noticed that it didn't slide smoothly, catching on my skin and scraping slightly. While Maximus didn't seem to be minding the dryness, would it feel better with some kind of lubricant?

Glancing around I didn't see any lotion I could use and after a moment of thought, I shifted closer to his shaft. I had seen a few movies where women did this and the males seemed to like it, that meant Maximus would probably like it as well right?

Starting slow, I licked the slit at the tip of his length, relishing in the moan he let out above me. His hands gripped the sheets to his sides tight enough to make little holes in them from his fingernails as I gave another slow lick. His eyes were shut tight and his face was twisted up into an expression of pure passion I hoped to see more of on him.

After a moment of consideration, I grabbed his hand and intertwined our fingers. Stopping my exploration to use the other hand to guide his free one into my hair. His eyes were back open when I glanced up, the intensity in them thrilling me as he stared down in what I could only call amazement, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing was real.

The look sent pride through me, if he looked at me like that everytime I did this then it may become a near nightly occurrence… "Please don't push on me, but you can curl your fingers in my hair if you want."

He snapped out of his daze and nodded resolutely, his hand moving to cup my head and shift into my hair. I squeezed his other hand before returning to my previous focus.

Remembering the sounds he made from before, I slanted my tongue sideways and ran it along the slit again. Watching enraptured as his head fell back with a moan that I felt through my body.

I listened to the sounds he made and let them guide me, feeling emboldened by his moans as I engulfed the head in my mouth. The taste wasn't anything spectacular, the faint tang of soup from his earlier shower lingered, but other than that there was no outstanding flavor.

His reaction however told me just how much he enjoyed that, his spine arched off the bed while struggling to keep his hips still and not press them up against me. His moans increased in pitch and tempo as I licked the underside before dragging my teeth along the top. I had read about this in a book and now was as good a time as any to see if it worked like the book said.

This time he couldn't stop the buck his hips gave, quickly removing his hand from my head to stop any pressure being put down. I hadn't had him far in my mouth so it didn't bother me, at his look of apology I pulled off him long enough to reassure him I was fine. "It's okay, you didn't mean to and besides that just means that you're enjoying it so much that you are losing control of yourself. I'll take it as a compliment."

Once the apology left his eyes, I dropped back down to his shaft. Sliding my tongue around the base, I worked my way up to the head before engulfing him again. Taking it one step further, I sank down his length while going one inch at a time to be sure not to overwhelm myself.

I stopped after a few inches, his shaft just beginning to get too close to the back of my throat. The last thing I wanted was to gag. Shifting my hands up from the base, I made a marker with my hands for how far down I could go comfortably. After pulling off I stared in shock at his fully erect length, I knew he was large from his size when he was soft but I never expected him to be this big.

How was that going to fit in me? The question sent a chill of fear down my spine and I quickly redirected my thoughts before I could start to overwhelm myself. That wasn't what we were doing, I was exploring him and that was it. He didn't expect anything else and I could ask about sizing and how he would make that fit in me later.

Shaking off my sudden bout of nerves, I sank down again while gripping and massaging the half I couldn't reach with my mouth. Pausing to take in the sensations, I glanced up to meet a mouth watering sight. His head was thrown back and I could see the glow of green through his closed eyelids, his hand stayed steady on my head and his chest was trembling with the urge to move. He managed to hold himself still, shackling his raging lust with the type of willpower you only gained from living centuries. The sight was erotic in a way I had never even dreamed of, the shot of arousal it gave me adding to the pool of warmth between my thighs.

Considering his impressive restraint and my want to see him completely let loose, I made a decision. Tapping one corner of his hips, I waited as his eyes flickered open. Once they met mine I sucked in a breath at the sight he made.

His pupils were blown wide, his hair was disheveled from his previous head tossing and his body trembled with restrained passion. I was so going to be having more wet dreams after this and I didn't mind one iota.

Focusing on the now, I locked eyes with him as I sank down as far I could comfortably go before rising again. Reclaiming the hand that was intertwined with his, I wrapped both of mine around his shaft, covering the areas I couldn't reach before resting my mouth on the head. I didn't move down to engulf him, instead I lightly sucked on the head and tugged on his shaft. His hips instinctively lifted with the movement as his hand tightened in my hair.

I hummed in approval, watching his eyes light with understanding as he hissed out a breath. He didn't ask if I was sure this time, my nod of approval answering his question before he could ask it. His hand moved to tangle into the strands at the back of my head, pressing down as he gently shifted his hips up. He watched me for what I assumed were signs of panic, but all I felt was pride as I sank down to the previously marked place on his shaft.

After a few times he started to ramp up his speed, never enough to be painful, just enough to increase the friction from my mouth against his shaft. I felt his length begin to pulse in my mouth, the girth seeming to grow even more as he raced closer to his end. His hand tugged lightly against my hair and suddenly I remembered the wet spot on his jeans from last time.

Knowing what he was trying to warn me of, I moved off of him until all that was left in my mouth was the head. Hollowing out my cheeks, I sucked. The noise he made coupled with his spine arching completely off the bed made a second pulse start up between my legs. Each beat of my heart sent more blood downward as I watched him come apart.

It didn't take long before he tipped over the edge of his climax, his shaft jerking and twitching in my palm as the sticky liquid shot into my mouth. Despite being ready for it the sheer amount had me pulling back, his length still sending shots out as I pulled off it. As he gave off a final round that covered my chin and cheek, I grinned in triumph. This is what I wanted to see more often; him, completely wrung out from passion, as his body twitches uncontrollably from climax.

I watched as his eyes lost their previous glaze of pleasure, the brilliant green softening back to grey as he stared at me with the most sated look I had ever seen. Pride bloomed in my chest at his completely relaxed posture, the knowledge that I did that making me grin up at him.

"I can get used to this sight." My tone was supremely satisfied but I had no desire to change it and by Maximus' slowly building smile he didn't mind either.

His hand unwrapped from my hair as he used a portion of the sheet to swipe off the liquid on my face, "I agree." His tone was a growl of pure possessiveness that on anyone else would terrify me. As it stood, I puffed up my chest and happily accepted his claim over me.

Once finished with my face, he moved to stand; to my confusion. I grabbed his hand before he could get far and asked, "Where are you going?"

He blinked down at me, the only sign of confusion he gave before answering. "I'm putting my pants back on? I thought you would want me to…"

While it was sweet of him to consider me, I could honestly say that the thought hadn't crossed my mind as being a problem. "You don't have to unless you want to. I know you won't do anything I don't want you to. Whether you have pants on or not won't change that."

Maximus sat back down before leaning over to claim my mouth, his kiss was burning hot with the passion he had only just extinguished. "You are absolutely correct, but if you change your mind tell me immediately and I will put them back on. Or just my underwear. Either way, I need to grab a cloth to clean you. I shall be right back."

He dropped another kiss on my head before disappearing, reappearing less than a minute later with a damp cloth. His touch was gentle, almost painfully so, as he cleaned off the traces of him that had fallen to my shirt, hands and neck. My previous arousal spiked, alerting me to the fact that it was still there and would continue to be until it was taken care of.

I had never taken care of it before the few times it had risen in the past, the idea of having anything down there was enough to make me feel disgusted as the memories replayed. But now it was more insistent, the reawakening of my hormones working against me in this case as it continued to pulse sharply when it usually would have already cooled down.

Maximus placed the rag to the side before pulling me to rest on top of him, the movement dragging my lower half just right against his leg. I bit back a gasp as I instinctively shuddered against him, his form stiffening briefly as he inhaled deeply. It clicked as he breathed in my scent that he could smell my arousal. The thought did nothing to take away from my borderlining painful state, instead it only seemed to increase it.

Maximus cupped my face, gently turning me to look at him. "I can help you with that, if you wish it. If you aren't ready for that we could simply cuddle or if you'd prefer you could handle it yourself. If you choose the last, I'd like to stay and watch but only if you're comfortable with it."

While the feeling between my legs wasn't fading, the thought of doing anything myself to get rid of it made me queasy. Frustration and uncertainty colored my tone when I spoke, "I don't think I can do it myself. When I try to imagine it I just feel sick... I'm not sure how I would react if you touched me. I might be okay with it, but I also might have a panic attack."

Maximus tightened his arms around me, the comfort soothing some of my uncertainty as he spoke. "The decision is entirely up to you, I will honor whatever you choose. If you decide to test your boundaries then all you need to say is stop and I will."

I knew that he would, but would it end quick enough to avoid an attack? "What if I have an attack?" I hated asking this after my big success I had managed already, but it needed to be said.

"Then I do whatever you direct while helping you breath, just like in the clearing." His voice didn't waver, the tone portraying his genuine wish to help. With a deep breath, I accepted. He had already seen me in the middle of an attack and proved he can calm me down, if I did have an attack then he would help me calm back down from it. I couldn't let what ifs rule my life.

"Okay, but please...just go slow." Maximus nodded, his eyes settling to a resolute, steely silverish grey. The heat between my thighs pulsed sharply, as if sensing its relief was near as Maximus gently shifted us around until I was laid back against the pillows. As he settled with his arms on either side of me, his body caging mine against the bed, I bit back the instinctual urge to squirm out from under him.

It wasn't bad enough to make me call it off, but if it got any more intense then it would be. Maximus must have sensed that because he eased back further until he was hovering over my groin without caging me. My legs were still closed from our previous position lying down and while I knew I would need to open them for this, they shook at the thought.

His fingers traced down from my thighs, his touch feather light as he rested his hands on my knees. He waited for my nod before he eased them apart, stroking them when they shook with nerves. A sardonic amusement swept through me that despite not being able to move them, my legs still managed to give away my nerves.

He didn't jump right in as I half expected and half dreaded, instead he continued to gently massage my knees. His fingers slowly moving up my thigh before traveling down to my ankle. Every second he was touching me sent more warmth down between my thighs until I could feel it soak through my underwear. I felt my cheeks flush hotly, but Maximus' hand cupped my face when I turned away out of embarrassment.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of in this. Your body is reacting naturally and this is just a sign that you want me. I will never see that as anything but desirable." His thumb stroked my cheek as he spoke, his words soothing some of my previous embarrassment. When he put it like that it didn't seem so bad…

Once I was looking at him again, he smiled before bringing his hands back to my thighs. He repeated his previous action, not going toward the center of my heat to my confusion. Before I could even ask it, he answered my question. "You aren't relaxed and I'm not going to do anything that you're uncomfortable with. If you can't relax while I am doing this then you're not ready yet. If that's the case then it's fine. It's nothing to be ashamed over, you've already made a lot of progress and you don't want to push it too far."

His words made me melt, affection blowing away most of my nerves as he continued to massage around my center. This man was perfect…

Shaking myself back to the present, I focused on relaxing my legs and felt as their shaking lowered under his palms. He smiled up at me, that smile doing funny things to my stomach as he trailed one of his hands up to the zipper on my pants.

When he hesitated on pulling it, I bucked up against him to push him on. Thankfully he didn't need any more incentive. He mirrored my previous action of using the belt loops to slide my jeans off, gently removing them before dropping them next to his on the floor.

I had never felt more nervous or exposed as he wrapped his fingers into the straps of the special underwear I had bought when we went to town. His eyes slowly became consumed in green as he took me in, his gaze making my nerves skyrocket when he didn't say anything for a moment.

My nerves disappeared when he spoke, "You are everything I envisioned you being and more. I relish being able to see you like this and can't wait for any future opportunities to do so again."

To think he found me so desirable...it was a heady sensation. "If this goes well then you might get to see it a lot more, I know I plan to repeat my earlier performance quite a bit in the future."

His grin bloomed until it stretched across his face. "Can't wait." He turned his attention back to my underwear as he slid them down my legs. The cool air hitting my center made me shiver from the temperature change only to shiver for a completely different reason when Maximus slid a finger along the seam of my center.

He was careful as he explored, his fingers prodding along the outside before continuing on when I gave the go ahead. As I felt him twist his finger around, tracing the entrance as if memorizing it by brail, it almost felt like he was looking for something-

In the next instant a sharp burst of pleasure cut through my lower half as I bucked against his hand. Okay he had definitely been looking for something and apparently he had found it. Before my next thought his finger had locked on that spot, crooking gently to rub against it, making stars explode behind my eyelids and a moan pull from my mouth.

As he slid his finger deeper, his thumb flicking along the nub at the entrance that had me shaking under his hand, I felt him shift inside of me. The feeling didn't inspire the fear or disgust the action had in the past and my relief lasted all of two seconds before it was drowned in the wave of lust.

"Do you want more or should I keep it as it is?" It took me a minute to process his question, the arousal making thinking difficult, but I managed to breath out my answer between gasps.

"Keep going, I'm still okay." It invigorated me how well I was doing so far, the tightening feeling between my legs increasing as his fingers nudged around inside me. Immediately after the words left my mouth his fingers changed rhythm, the new thrusting pattern sucking the air out of my lungs and arching my back off the bed.

His fingers scissored out, stretching my insides as he dragged his fingers against my walls. One of his fingers scraped against a bundle of nerves that wrestled a choked cry of pleasure from me before I could think to stop it.

He shifted all of his attention to that bundle as his free hand gripped my own. The molten heat built between my thighs until it was nearly painful as I teetered on the edge of my climax. His fingers scissored again before pressing firmly against the nerve bundle again. The knowledge that he was deliberately stretching me to prepare me for what came later is what sent me over the edge.

My voice cracked as I cried out, the pleasure breaking over me and turning my vision white. This was even more intense than what we did on his birthday… How would it feel when we went the full way? The thought sent another shudder through me as I struggled to regain my bearings. Distantly I felt his fingers withdraw, but all of my attention was on breathing as the aftershocks rolled through me.

*SMUT OVER*

Calloused hands gently rubbed my back, the touch grounding me as I floated through the after effects of my earth shattering orgasm. Dimly I wondered when he had switched our positions so he was beneath me, but the thought faded as soon as it came. He was comfortable and his arms around me were helping me stay in the now through whatever this was, I would just be happy for it. I could be confused about how he managed it later.

It could have been minutes or hours before I came back to reality, I didn't care. Maximus was still stroking my back and the feeling helped me keep calm through the unfamiliar reactions. Any other time not being able to move my body would send terror through me, but while it was uncomfortable not being able to move, I knew that it was normal and with Maximus here nothing would hurt me. My muscles still randomly spasmed but at least now I could move and think past breathing.

When I met his eyes the grey pools overflowed with tenderness, the look so potent that I felt the butterflies come alive again. Would they ever calm down? I hoped not…

Giddiness made a goofy grin tug at my mouth as the realization of what we had just done came through my still foggy mind. I nuzzled further into Maximus's chest as I basked in the new progress. I had never thought I would manage this, lying mostly naked next to an equally undressed man after working each other into an orgasm. It felt like a dream, one I didn't want to wake up from anytime soon.

Everyday I seemed to be making more strides towards being better, being what I used to be and I loved it. It was odd to think that not even half a year ago I would have written this scenario off as impossible for me and yet here we sat. And all of it was possible because of him, I had never connected with someone like I do with Maximus. What were the odds that I would meet him and get to have this relationship? Not high, I knew that.

Maximus sent an equally bright smile down to me, "I'm glad that you don't appear to be having regrets."

Regrets? Even if I had an attack I still wouldn't regret anything we did together, it was all a learning experience and I wanted to do every step with him. I made my jellied muscles pull me up on his chest, not wasting a second in tugging him down for a kiss. "No matter what we do, or what happens afterward I will never regret what we do in our private lives. In the best case scenario I never have an attack while we explore and I get to feel this with you a lot more often. In the worst case I have an attack every now and then, you help me calm down from it and we move on from there until I'm not having them anymore. Our relationship contains no regrets and it never will, because it's you and me and nothing else matters."

The pink sheen that glazed his eyes lasted less than a second, but before I could question if he was alright I was wrapped into familiar arms and pressed against his chest. Had I said something wrong? Before I could ask, he pulled back to drag me into a kiss that practically burned with intensity. When he pulled back for me to breath, he spoke. "I'm relieved to hear that. One of my biggest worries is accidentally pushing you into something that you're not ready for and having you regret it. If you ever aren't sure about something tell me and I will back down immediately."

How long had this been bothering him? I could've soothed it from the start if I had known the worry existed… "Maximus, I know you would never push me if I was uncomfortable with something. Anything I choose to instigate has already been thoroughly thought over to be sure it is what I want. You never have to worry about regrets, because anything I do with you is nothing to be regretful for."

Shifting my arms around his neck, I pulled myself up to lie against his chest with my head in the crook of his shoulder. If the flash of pink that I had seen in his eyes was any indication, Maximus might need a minute to compose himself. I knew what it was like to be overwhelmed with emotions, whether they were good or bad, and I would happily give him the time to himself to sift through them.

Besides, cuddling was another form of bliss and I was more than happy to spend as much of our time as possible like this. As my cheek rested against his chest, the soft fabric of his shirt caught my attention.

Only now did I realize that both of us still had our shirts on and the fact seemed utterly hilarious now. Giggles threatened to burst from me as I pressed more firmly against his chest in an attempt to stop them. Maximus seemed to be dealing with his emotions right now and the last thing I wanted was for him to think I was laughing at him.

Thankfully, he didn't believe that although he did look down in curiosity at me. "What's so funny?" I made sure to listen for any hurt in his tone, but there was none to my relief.

It sounded even sillier to say it out loud but I didn't want him to come to the wrong conclusion so I pushed through it, "I just realized that we're still wearing our shirts. For some reason the thought that we're still wearing them after what we just did is hilarious to me. Ignore me for a few minutes, it'll go away."

Understanding lit his gaze as he glanced down before a smile curled his lips, "No need to hide it, I can see where it would be amusing. If you'd like I can remove my shirt?"

I didn't even have to think about it, lifting myself up on my elbows I gripped the bottom hem before gently tugging on it. Once he lifted his torso for me to pull it over his head, I flung the shirt onto the pile of clothes on the floor.

Turning around, I got my first uninterrupted view of his chest. Every muscle was sculpted as was expected since his human life had been spent fighting in the wars. As my hands ran over each muscle, they tensed under my palm. The light dusting of gold across his chest was soft as I dragged my fingers through it. I felt more at ease than I ever expected to be in such a position, laying mostly naked against his chest while he stroked along my spine. If this was how our relationship was going to continue to progress then it would go considerably smoother than I had worried.

As my fingers explored the expanse of his chest, I felt his hands come to rest on my hips where he tugged lightly on the hem of my shirt. Considering what we had just done and his completely naked state, it made sense that he wanted to remove it.

I nodded, not feeling an ounce of trepidation as he carefully tugged the shirt over my head. His fingers grazed the edges of the bra, but with a shake of my head he left it alone. While I was doing well, I wasn't sure how I would react to not having it, so for now it would stay on. Maybe the next time we explored we could see about removing it.

Instead, his hands took the opportunity to trace along my sides, traveling up to my shoulders before trailing down to my stomach. Even with his light touch, the feeling of hands against the chub of my stomach made me queasy. I wasn't overweight by any means, but being in my chair made exercising difficult. I tried to not let it bother me but with his hands cupping it, it brought all of my old insecurities back to the front.

As my hands moved over his well defined muscles, his abs and pecs tensing under my touch as I traced my nails over them, I wished I had more to offer him in that area. "I know, I'm not-"

Lips silenced my sentence before I could finish it, one of his hands was in my hair while the other was resting against my hip, stroking my stomach with his thumb. When he pulled back the previous contentedness was replaced with a sharp determination. "You are beautiful as you are, never believe otherwise. I prefer having more to hold onto so your body is perfect to me and hopefully I will make you see it as I do in the future."

I was doubtful about that, I wouldn't dispute that he found me attractive as he would know better than I would and I knew he wouldn't lie to me about that, but the thought of me thinking I was attractive? That seemed impossible. "That may take awhile..."

His nose brushed against mine in an eskimo kiss as he stared resolutely into my eyes. "That's fine, I'm planning on being here for however long you'll have me."

Something about his wording caught my attention, pulling me from my fuzzy feelings and making me focus on him. I wasn't sure what had caught my attention in particular, but the way he had said that didn't sit right with me.

"You shouldn't offer that, I happen to cling to people who I like and I never want to let go. If you're not careful you'll be stuck with me forever." I was only mostly kidding, I did have the tendency to try to hold onto people when I started to care for them, even when they weren't what was healthy for me. Case in point, my mother, but I wasn't going to focus on that right now.

Instead of laughing it off like I expected him to, his eyes deepened until I could get lost in their depths. When he spoke it was heavy with emotion and rolled over me like a physical caress. "Good, forever sounds like just the right amount of time to spend with you."

Some of the dark edge from before left his eyes, loosening the tension I had felt previously. I didn't know what that had been about, but I wasn't sure how to ask either… "Maximus, you know that I care for you a lot right?"

It sounded silly to say out loud, but that feeling still nagged at me, telling me that I needed to find out what was bothering him. Instead of laughing or shaking my question off, his eyes darkened again and suddenly I knew what he was worried about. It tore at my heart as I spoke it out loud, stopping him from answering the question.

"Maximus, do you think I'm going to just leave you at the drop of a hat, over nothing?" I hated when his mouth tensed into a tight line in answer. The thought that anyone would hurt this man in such a way, breaking it off with him for one reason or another without any warning or explanation… His words from so long ago came back, I've been used as an instrument of pleasure before…

Tears filled my eyes as my heart burned to comfort him, how long had he been dealing with this? Just pushing off his pain when his lovers abandoned him, as if he meant nothing to them...I could easily see him becoming my everything in no time at all. He already was my everything, what with my mother turning against me.

I couldn't let him think that I would so carelessly discard him for another moment, he had to know just how much he meant to me. When he turned his head to hide his expression, I cupped his jaw with both hands and guided him back to me. The tears trailed down my cheeks, immediately alarming him but before he could say anything I pulled him into a kiss that I tried to push as much of my feelings into as possible.

I didn't deepen it, not wanting to turn things in a heated direction. Instead I trailed kisses from his mouth up to his forehead, before going all the way back down to his chest. He needed to know what he was worth to me, and I refused to let him think he was anything less than my everything.

"No, I will never just leave you. If we have problems or I have doubts or anything else for that matter, anything that could negatively impact our relationship. I will talk to you about them, we can discuss anything between us and if something bothers me I'll let you know before it becomes a problem. As I expect you to do the same. You mean too much to me to just leave without even trying to work things out between us and I could never bring myself to hurt you like that."

I had stopped trailing kisses, hovering over his mouth as I spoke. While it wasn't what I really wanted to say it would have to do for now. I wasn't sure if it was too early for him to know the full extent of my emotions so this would have to do.

This time it was his eyes that filled with tears, the pink liquid sliding down his cheek before my hands cupped his face again to swipe it away. He closed his eyes and leaned into my hands, I knew what it looked like when someone was soaking in the emotions of someone else so I stayed still and let him pull as much strength as he needed from me.

Wrapping my hands into his hair, I tugged him forward until his face nuzzled into my throat. My fingers worked through his tangled hair, carefully removing the knots and massaging at his scalp as he shuddered against me. My arms were starting to hurt from holding my weight up at the odd angle we were at, with me half leaning on top of and against his chest, so I tightened my arms around him before rolling over.

At first he pulled against me, thinking I wanted to separate but after I only tightened my arms further he figured out what I planned. His body went pliant as he allowed me to roll him with me until I was laying back with him resting on top of me. Yet another thing I never thought would come about, but I put it out of my mind as I focused on comforting my millennium old knight who had been strong for entirely too long.

I didn't feel any more tears against my shoulder, but I knew just the one that had shown itself spoke for how much Maixmus was feeling right now. Once we were situated again, I continued brushing my fingers through his hair, alternating between that and moving down to rub at his back and shoulders. It could've been minutes or hours before he pulled back, not enough to completely separate from me but enough so he could see my face.

The bare gratitude in his eyes tugged on my heart painfully, he shouldn't be grateful for being told that he was worth more than what others had treated him with. I would make it my new mission in life to make this man feel like the most wanted, worthy and loved man in existence. Once it is all said and done he will never doubt the position he holds in my life ever again.

The words I love you were just on the tip of my tongue but I swallowed them back. There had been a lot of emotional moments today, I could wait for a bit to tell him that. Besides I wanted to get a better idea for where he stood before I told him about just how tightly he had wrapped himself around my heart.

His voice brought my attention back to the present, pulling me away from the dangerous line of thinking my mind was going down. "I can't express how much those words mean to me, just know that I value you and our relationship to the same degree I respect and care for Vlad. There are very few things I wouldn't do for you and should I ever have concerns about our relationship then I will bring them to you. There will be no dramatics, no fighting, and no unnecessary hurt. The lines of communications are open between us and I swear on my blood that I will never leave you unless you explicitly wish it."

It wasn't startling this time when he bit into his wrist, he made a promise by blood and so his blood was needed. Before the wound could close I gently caught his arm and licked the bite mark, only pulling away once it was completely healed. His eyes went streetlight green as the emotions in them smoldered with intensity.

I felt the thrumming heartbeat start up between my legs again as his shaft began to pulse and thicken against my stomach. When a look of uncertainty covered his face, one of his arms beginning to reach down to grab his clothes, I stopped him with two words. "Round two?"

A devilish smile spread across his face as he abandoned his quest to grab his clothes, instead he slid down until his head was between my thighs. The sight made my throat go dry and my legs tremble with anticipation. His words further spiking my excitement, "I have a slight adjustment for this time, if you don't mind."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was talking about and I barely got out a nod before he had buried his mouth between my legs. Oh I definitely had no complaints about this… After he finished up, which wouldn't be long if the burning between my legs was any indication, I would be more than happy to return the favor...Several times over.


	18. Chapter 18

As my eyes snapped open from yet another nightmare, despair briefly tried to swallow me whole. It had been years since Lance's final attack and I still had regular nightmares. Would they ever stop? As a thrill of terror moved up my spine, I shifted to rise from the bed. I needed to move around or the feeling would never go away.

There was a problem with that plan and he was over six feet tall with his arms wrapped around me. Usually I loved being in his embrace but right after one of my more potent nightmares, I just wanted to move and his arm was stopping that.

I could try to tough it out without waking him, and if I wanted his arm to move I would have to wake him thanks to his advanced strength, but I didn't want to do that. He had been busy lately with Lance being free and his own duties. He never seemed to rest and as I looked up at his peacefully sleeping face I didn't want to wake him up.

The minutes dragged by as my throat tightened until breathing became difficult. Slow breaths, I reminded myself. Everything is fine, just keep breathing and it will pass. Just as my breathing began to even out, I was pulled snugly against his front with his face nuzzled into my neck, his arms tightening their embrace in his sleep. Instead of calming me down like it usually did, I felt the panic spike again. I couldn't even wiggle in this position and I needed to do something or it was only going to get worse.

However, just as I started to reel it back under control, I felt something hard rub against my thighs. It didn't take a genius to wonder what it was, apparently even vampires get morning wood… Usually this wouldn't bother me, we had done something similar to this before after all and we were both still fully clothed, but with my nightmare still clinging to me I felt my skin begin to itch unbearably.

Phantom hands seemed to roam over me as bile worked its way up my throat. I couldn't take it anymore! I put all of my focus into trying to struggle free, of course with his supernatural strength I didn't get far. My breathing picked up until I was barely pulling oxygen in, the quick breaths not inflating my lungs and further feeding the flames of my fear.

When that did nothing, I used what little air I was pulling in to wheeze, "Maximus!" Just like in the lobby of my apartment and the gym I felt the air shift as he snapped awake. I couldn't see his eyes too well in the dark but I felt when his hands started to run over my back and sides. This had become our routine for when I woke up from my previous nightmares and it had helped in those circumstances. It was NOT helping right now though.

I jolted against his hold again, hoping that he would get the hint before the attack got any worse, but he just tightened his arms thinking I was still in the throes of a nightmare. Giving up on verbally alerting him, I put both of my hands against his chest and pushed with all of my strength. This time he understood.

With a harsh curse his arms disappeared, in the time it took me to blink he had disentangled our bodies and slid to give me a foot of space on the bed. Relief immediately strafed my veins, but it wasn't enough. I lurched for my chair, missing it in my terror and sliding straight off the bed. I saw his hand reach out to help, but I knew I was still too panicked for any touch, not even his would feel good right now. I managed to choke out, "Don't!"

His finger stopped just shy of my arm, hovering for a minute before retreating to lay on the bed next to him. His features were scrunched in pain at not being able to help, but he made no move to stand and I was grateful for it. If he had jumped out of bed he would have towered over me and I was barely holding it together as it was.

I clambered into my chair, wincing when I nailed my knee against the footrest but shaking it off in my goal of getting into the chair. The second I was sitting down and could move freely, I felt most of the panic drain away. I was still uncomfortable and moving around definitely wouldn't hurt, but at least I could think straight now.

Glancing over at Maximus who hadn't even breathed since I had told him not to touch me, a twinge of guilt flared at the pained expression on his face and the white knuckle grip he had on the sheets. Usually my nightmares didn't escalate to the point that even his touch was unwelcome and now that he couldn't help, he was lost for what to do. I should have told him that this could happen, but I had been too happy basking in how his touch helped most of the time. I hadn't wanted to jinx it, but my cowardice made this considerably harder than it had to be for him.

As I shifted my chair to start wheeling around the room to burn off energy, I spoke up when he looked alarmed. "I'm not leaving, I just need to move." He nodded, settling against the bed and staying as still as possible as I started 'pacing' the length of the room. It only took once or twice before I could breath normally again, giving me the opportunity to explain some of what just happened to Maximus as I continued moving.

"I should have told you that could happen. I just thought that since I didn't have problems with your touch so far that this wouldn't be an issue." He tilted his head to show he was listening but his grip didn't loosen as his eyes followed my path. I forced myself to continue, not wanting to stop or I might not start again. "Sometimes the nightmares get so bad that all touch is painful, apparently even yours. I was hoping you were an exception to that too but I guess that was too much to hope for."

His grip finally loosened a notch as he considered my words, when he spoke his voice was low as if talking to a spooked animal. "Considering your trauma it isn't surprising that there will be times that all touch will make you fearful. If I may ask, what caused the reaction this time so I might avoid it later in the future?"

I bit my lip as I tried to think on how to tell him without making him guilty. Maximus was loyal and devoted to a fault, he had done everything he could to not set off a panic attack but he wouldn't like that it was his actions, while sleeping, that caused it to escalate. "I think the worst of it was not being able to move after waking up from that particular nightmare. The memory I was reliving in it was similar, where I was pinned against the counter and couldn't move. So when I woke up and also couldn't move…"

He nodded, "It made distinguishing between dreams and reality difficult." While I knew it was wrong to only give him part of the truth, this was the only way I could think of that wouldn't make him feel bad.

Before I could completely relax, he spoke again. "What else caused it? Because you smell of guilt and lies. I believe you when you say that not being able to move is a part of it, but you're leaving something out aren't you? It's fine if you don't want to discuss it, but don't lie to me."

I felt tears build in my eyes, of course he would notice, I forgot about his sense of smell. My guilt increased as I answered while attempting to convey that it wasn't his fault in every word. "I'm sorry and you're right. There was one other thing. While not being able to move made it worse, I had mostly calmed down after a few minutes. The attack redoubled when you...rubbed against me. Between my thighs specifically."

At first he didn't understand, however the addition of where he rubbed me made it all fall into place. I saw as his eyes darkened, turning downward to glower at his groin as if he could glare it into submission. The sight was humorous, but I wasn't in the right mindset to find it funny. I wanted to reassure him, but the thought of reaching out curled my stomach. If past experience was to be believed, this would last for the better part of the next few hours.

The guilt I had dreaded seeing made its appearance and I cut him off when he opened his mouth to most likely apologize. "Please, please don't apologize. I know that you didn't do it on purpose and you can't control what you do in your sleep. If it weren't for the timing, what with me just finishing a nightmare, then I wouldn't have noticed. Usually I enjoy your touch and while there may be times when I can't handle it like now, if you just be patient with me I'll be back to normal in no time. This doesn't change how I feel about you or our relationship, so please don't-"

I barely stopped myself from begging him not to leave. So many others had before him, but I had to remind myself that he wasn't them. The fear still stubbornly clung to me though, after all if my own mother could leave me so easily then why wouldn't he?

Maximus's face shifted into alarm, concern quickly overtaking his previous guilt. "Zelda, what were you about to say?"

My stomach turned again, uneasy at the new topic but knowing that he wouldn't forget it now that I had accidentally brought it up. My voice was barely audible in the quiet room as I choked out through tears, "Please don't leave me."

A strangled noise came from his throat and his muscles bunched as if to wrap me into a hug but he stayed put. His face twisted into a mask of determination and pain, "Zelda, I better than most, understand what kind of effects trauma can have on a person. Just as you refused to leave me over things I couldn't control with Amelia, I won't leave you over this. While I despise not being able to help as I generally can, I know that trying to force my touch on you will only cause you pain. I want to help and if the only way I can do that is to sit here from a distance and talk to you while you calm down then that is what I'll do."

The tears slid down my cheeks, the salty liquid coming to rest on my lips. He was everything I needed in a partner and I would never stop being grateful that I met him. His words tugged on my heart, making me ache for his touch even as the still fading panic told me that it was a bad idea at this time. Maybe I could try curling up against him again soon but for now, better to keep my distance. He had already said he was fine with that, which just left calming the rest of the way down for me.

I nodded at his words before slowing my pace as I focused on breathing evenly. The minutes blurred as I felt the panic ebb again, hopefully to stay dormant for a good while this time. After ten more minutes I felt confident enough to roll up to the bed again.

Maximus watched me with no censure or irritation in his eyes as I locked my wheels and prepared to shift back onto the bed. Before I could move, his voice stopped me. "Do you still want me to stay tonight? It is perfectly fine if you'd prefer to be alone, just tell me and I will return to my room until tomorrow."

The thought of him leaving sent a flare of panic through me that I didn't expect. My abandonment issues were really showing themselves today… However as I thought about laying down and having the same situation happen again my stomach rolled uncomfortably. I raked a hand through my hair in frustration as I tried to explain what I felt. "I don't want you to leave, matter of fact I'm mildly terrified of you doing so, but I'm also not sure how to go about this while still shaking off the effects of my nightmare. I want your touch, but I don't want the panic that might come from it. It's not fair to you to be afraid when you're gone and then be afraid when you touch me."

Maximus cut me off before I could continue, "No, don't think like that. I decide what is fair to me and if you're scared of me being out of your sight then I'll stay here. I could sleep on the floor next to the bed, or if you think you could handle it I could put pillows between our lower halves so the previous situation doesn't happen again. Telling me what you need or want is not unfair to me, I want you to do that. I'm here to help you however I can, you just have to tell me how to do that."

The previous ache for his touch increased sharply, taking my breath away as it expanded in my chest. My words were gravelly through heavy emotions, "I don't know what will happen, but can we try the pillows? And maybe putting a shirt on? If it's too much then we can try the floor but I really don't want you to have to do that if it isn't necessary." He was only doing this because of me, if it weren't for my issues we would still be contently cuddled together-.

My thoughts were interrupted by Maximus moving to grab two of the pillows from the head of the bed before laying down and situating them in front of his groin. Once done, he looked to me for approval which I gave instantly. I hoped this worked…

Transferring was considerably easier now that I've done it over the past few weeks, it also helped the bed was made for my disability. I really needed to remember to thank Vlad for that…

It didn't take me long to shuffle onto my side next to Maximus, who had taken the opportunity to snag his shirt from the floor where I had thrown it last night. He left his hand, palm up, in between us as I settled beside him.

It was as good a spot to start as any… I curled my fingers into his palm, marveling momentarily at how small they looked in comparison to his as he slowly closed his hand around mine. Thankfully none of the previous panic came back at his touch. If nothing else I would be able to hold his hand for the rest of the night.

As the hours passed we chatted off and on, my eyes dragging down as exhaustion bit at my bones. I heard Maximus chuckle as he pulled the blankets up to my shoulders. "Go to sleep, you need it after the difficult night you've had."

Despite my attempts to stay awake I felt as sleep dragged me down, the last thing I remember before sliding into the bliss of dreamless sleep was Maximus's thumb tracing the back of my hand. Maybe these nights wouldn't be too bad in the future…

Light hurt my eyes from where it came through the windows, dragging me back to consciousness despite my wish to stay asleep. Cracking an eye open, I felt confusion when I saw the three pillows between Maximus and I. Memories hit in the next instant, my nightmare and our talk about it came back with crystal clarity.

I took the rare moment where Maximus was asleep to take in just how lucky I was to have him. That moment was broken when storm grey eyes opened in the next second, making me jerk in surprise.

His lips twitched at my jolt but he didn't comment on it, instead saying. "Are you feeling any better?"

Warmth bloomed inside my chest as I nodded, tentatively reaching for the pillows to remove them before scooting to lie against his chest. When no negative reactions came, I reclaimed my usual position splayed out across his front.

Nuzzling into his throat, happy to not feel fear this time, I thought back on the pillows. "Weren't there only two last night? Pillows, I mean."

Maximus relaxed underneath me, his arms coming up to wrap around my back as I cuddled into him. His mouth slid across my forehead, the air brushing my ear tickled when he answered. "After you went to sleep you kept trying to roll over on me. I wasn't sure if you would be okay with that so I added another pillow between our chests. Was that alright?"

I bit back the tears with pure force of will, he really was perfect. "It is more than alright and I'm sorry for causing you trouble." The words barely left my mouth before his lips were on mine. When he pulled back a moment later I blinked at him in confusion.

That confusion didn't last long when he spoke. "You weren't any trouble, I'm glad that even in your sleep you seek me out. Since this worked I'll use it again next time it becomes necessary. As for last night," I immediately felt nervous when he mentioned last night. He already said I wasn't a bother but where was he going with this?

His next words soothed my nerves completely, "Do you want me to find a way of restricting any future erections for when we sleep together? I've heard there is something similar to a bra, only it's for men's genitalia, I could look into it."

While the offer flattered me, I knew it probably wasn't necessary. "Thank you for offering that, I appreciate it more than you could imagine. But I don't think it will be a common problem. The only reason it was so bad last night was the nightmare combined with being unable to move once I woke up. I was going to wake you at first, but I know you've been tired lately. If I had woken you immediately it might not have gotten that bad…"

Briefly his arms squeezed me in comfort, "I'll never be too tired to help you with these things. I can run on less sleep thanks to my species, so if you need me then don't hesitate to wake me."

I hummed against his throat, happy to soak in the happiness I had never felt after such a nightmare. It shouldn't surprise me, in the past I had dealt with them alone because it was demanded of me. Now I have Maximus and he seemed determined I wouldn't have to deal with anything alone. As his hands trailed up my sides to the ticklish spots of my ribs, I knew that if he allowed it I would stay by his side forever. Laughter burst from my lungs as I swatted at him playfully, I couldn't wait to see what was in our future.


	19. Chapter 19

I stared out the window at the nice, sunny day as I considered the events of the past month. Lance still hadn't been found, to Maximus's frustration and my terror. On top of that Maximus has been stretched thin lately with all of his regular duties and watching out for me. While the news about Lance bothered me, I couldn't do anything about it so it was better to focus on what I could do. Help Maximus. Now I just had to figure out how to do that…

Most of his duties were training the guards, reports and other such things that I wouldn't know the first thing about. Thus making me very little help. It was frustrating to watch him collapse into bed with me at the end of the day while doing his best to mask just how exhausted he was. Thankfully I had managed to convince him to cut back on our dates, thus giving him more calm, down time with me at the castle instead of planning an elaborate outing. While I loved going out with him, staying in was just as fine and it was considerably easier on him right now with everything else already on his plate.

One of those dates was planned to take place in a few hours, but I wasn't sure if Maximus would be up to it. He hadn't even come to bed last night due to using every last minute available to complete his work early… Ever since we had furthered our physical relationship, the memory sending tingles through my chest and moving downward before I distracted myself, he had been spending most nights with me. Now it wasn't due to nightmares, although they did continue to happen.

Falling asleep in his arms and waking up to his face, when I woke up before him that was, are two of my new favorite things to enjoy. Just the thought of his sleep tousled hair made warmth spread through my chest and wrap around my heart. Oh yeah, I had it bad...

I shook myself out of my thoughts when a knock came from the doorway, I hadn't bothered to close it so Vlad's profile was visible. I was mildly surprised to not see Leila behind him, so far whenever he had something to say to me she was right behind him…

He didn't beat around the bush, pushing on to the reason he decided to visit swiftly. "I've been hearing your concerns about Maximus's health and you are correct that his workload has increased. Unfortunately you are also correct that most of it isn't anything you can help with. The search for Lance in particular captivates much of his time. Knowing that there is an active threat to you wandering the streets holds his attention, understandably."

That didn't make me feel better about this situation. Lance could be in the wind for any amount of time, I don't want Maximus to keep running himself ragged like he is… Vlad nodded in answer to my thoughts.

"Yes, I have brought that to his attention but he insists that he is fine as he is. I've cut down on his former duties but only so much can be delegated, what with my not having a suitable replacement for him. I thought you would like to know however that Samir will be returning from his overseas task and once he returns that should reduce the amount of stress on Maximus exponentially."

I deflated with relief at the news. I may not be able to do anything about his exhaustion, but it would be coming to an end soon. That's all that mattered. Maybe we could take a walk through the indoor garden later, it would give him some clear air to breath and we could still spend some time together.

As plans began to form, Vlad brought me back to the present again. "Yes, any of those would work and I can guarantee he would enjoy all of them. Whichever you plan to implement, just know that Samir should be back within days. This gives you a basic time frame to decide what you wish to do and should you require any aid, let me know. Maximus is my oldest friend and I enjoy seeing him happy with you."

I nodded absentmindedly as a thought hit, I hadn't realized before but Vlad hadn't moved from the doorway during our discussion. While that could have just been him not wanting to invade my space, I got the feeling it was more than that, what with Leila not being with him.

He confirmed my thoughts when he said, "I am well aware of your dislike for having males other than Maximus within a certain distance to you. I understand better than most why that is and thus I do my best to keep my distance, as to not make you uncomfortable. That is also why when I must address something with you, I generally have Leila escort me. She is doing a routine at the moment and I didn't want to interrupt her. You seem to be handling this distance well, therefore I shall stay here as we speak."

His consideration was touching, especially since there wasn't an ounce of pity in his words. Nothing was more frustrating or degrading than pity…

He hummed his agreement before continuing, "Yes, I also understand loathing when others pity you. The emotion is a useless one and I have no place for it in my life. I didn't when I was imprisoned and raped as a child and I still don't now."

His admission made me jerk around to look at him in astonishment, I had never thought something like that had happened to him. Then again, maybe I should have. He had mentioned disliking touch just as I do, not to mention his complete understanding of my own difficulties with it. The only person who could understand such things was someone else who had gone through it.

I hated to think of such things being done to any child, but I wasn't naive. Evil people existed in this world and unfortunately it was generally the innocent who paid for their crimes. Shaking off my thoughts and the depressing turn they were taking, I focused on my confusion. While I was grateful he had told me such a personal part of his past, I wasn't sure why he had done so.

Was it an offer to listen if I needed it? Or was he just telling me so I knew that he truly understood where I was coming from? My answer came with a hard smile, "While I only intended it to be the latter, the former is also available to you. Everyone handles such traumas differently, but don't feel shame for how you cope. As long as you survive through it and continue to make yourself live your life then there is no shame in the lasting effects the events have on you. Should you ever need or want to discuss your injury or the problems you may be having I am here."

I felt my eyes fill before I quickly blinked the tears back, I never thought I would find anyone who understood. After I had told my mother about my problems following my...rape and she had dismissed them or in some cases even ridiculed my efforts. I had thought I would just have to muddle through alone. Having someone I could ask some of my never ending questions to was something I never thought I would have.

Before I could chicken out, I asked one of the ones that never seemed to leave my mind. "Does it get better? It happened years ago, but I don't seem to be getting better with people other than Maximus and Leila. I can't handle crowds well, packed places are a nightmare for more reasons than just my chair, and I still panic when I'm touched in certain areas unexpectedly."

That hadn't been a fun experience to find out, poor Maximus had apologized profusely for sending me into an attack but I had done my best to reassure him that setbacks happened and I was still perfectly fine. It hadn't been his fault anyway, he hadn't purposefully rubbed his erection against me in his sleep after all. Considering that he had woken up to me completely panicking, he handled it considerably well. Thankfully he wasn't guilty about that anymore, but he had been a lot more focused when he woke up to be sure I didn't need him to move.

Vlad's mouth twisted down into a hard frown, his copper gaze darkening as he considered my question. "It is different for every person. It took me well over four decades before I willingly allowed someone to touch me in such a manner, but I know of others who were happy to be touched within a week of leaving their circumstances. As for your difficulties with crowds and such, there are some things that you will have to live with, things that won't leave you no matter how much you wish them to. I still loathe it when people touch me without my leave and I most likely always will. While I have gotten more lenient on what I will do in sexual matters, there are some activities I will never do. Leila and I already discussed this in length and there is no shame in admitting where my boundaries lie. As long as you discuss your problems with Maximus, he will be more than happy to support you as you learn to survive with those disabilities. Some may fade in time, but it is important to not let those that stay take over your life."

I thought about his words and they gave me hope. If he could come back from being imprisoned as a boy, then I would drag myself back from my own trauma. It wasn't as if I was alone, I had Maximus and Leila. And by the sound of it, I had Vlad too. That was more than I had ever had for a support network before my injury…

As I considered what he said about not allowing those difficulties to take over my life, I thought on my dislike of touch. Touching Maximus didn't really count as working toward being better since I enjoyed feeling his hands on me, and Leila usually wore gloves so the skin crawling effect was muted. I didn't want to ask some random person to help either. I chewed my lip as a tentative thought took form.

Maybe, if I started small with something like a handshake and worked my way up from there it might help. Would he mind though? I wasn't the only one that didn't like touch after all. Remembering his mind reading ability, I met his eyes while doing my best not to fidget with my hands as I waited for his answer.

A slow smile curled Vlad's lips as he nodded, "Good, you're already making steps toward taking control of your life back. That is important and I have no problem if you wish to test that on me. A handshake is fine."

He still didn't move from the doorway and I took that as my cue to roll over to him. The closer I got, the more my nerves climbed but I stubbornly pushed them down. This was Vlad, my sister's husband, and he was no threat. Well, not to me at least. His lips twitched in amusement but he showed no other emotions as he held out his hand and waited.

I stared at it for a moment, the hair on my neck standing on end as I made my arm move to grip the offering. I felt the sweat building on my palm, my nerves firing up as I felt his scarred hand surround mine. Momentarily I felt a flash of panic and nearly jolted my hand back, but I forced myself to breath through it and leave my hand where it was.

I repeated that this was Vlad to myself as I breathed, making sure to focus on the now and not the overwhelming urge to snatch my hand back and itch at the skin. Vlad, for his part, kept a blank face as I struggled through my heavier emotions. I only dropped my hand when the suffocating panic began to recede on its own. While I probably could have left it in his for a while longer until the fear completely dissolved, I didn't want to take up too much of his time. It was nice of him to do this for me, I wouldn't keep him long.

Vlad let his hand fall to his side, his face losing its impassive mask to fall into a proud look. His smile curled devilishly at the side as he nodded with satisfaction. "You're stronger than you believe, keep that in mind when your mind tells you otherwise."

With that, he turned and left as silently as he came. I took a deep breath as the last of my panic drained away and an odd feeling of accomplishment overtook me. Vlad had been proud of me for taking that step and while I was too embarrassed to say it to his face, that pride meant a lot to me. How long had it been since someone had genuinely been proud of something I did? At least four years…

I dragged myself back to the present, still glowing from the fragile bond that had begun to form between Vlad and I. While I had spent more time with Leila than Vlad, I could easily see myself becoming close with him as well. Possibly even coming to see him as an older brother figure, if all went well.

My thoughts were interrupted by Maximus entering the room, nearly tripping over me due to my not moving from the doorway after Vlad had left. He blinked in confusion at my choice of stopping places as my face flamed. I pushed it down ruthlessly, instead choosing to smile up at my boyfriend who upon further inspection looked even more tired than he had yesterday to my chagrin.

"Hey, you done for the day?" I made sure my voice was softer than normal, after he told me about how painful his hearing could be after a particularly exhausting day I had made a point of lowering my volume when I greeted him. His answering smile told me he appreciated it as he lowered himself to wrap me into a hug.

"Yes, praise the Lord. I have the rest of the afternoon clear for whatever you wish to do. We could go into town if you'd like? The restaurant you previously enjoyed is open for a few more hours." While I liked the thought of going back to where we had our first date, I didn't want to do that while he looked ready to fall asleep standing.

"That sounds wonderful but how about a rain check? I think I just want a lazy day with you, no one but us and nothing going on except a movie or something. If you want to go outside we can go for a walk in the garden? It's pretty out right now." Maximus's smile hardened around the edges, the sight sending a chill up my spine before he spoke.

"I know why you're saying that and you don't need to worry about my health. I will tell you as I told Vlad earlier today, I am fine. If you want to go into town, then we will. I've survived much worse over the years than being mildly sleep deprived and if your company is the reward then it is more than a fair trade."

While his words were flattering, his hard tone made me feel uneasy. Why couldn't he understand that I didn't want to go out if he wouldn't be enjoying it too? I loved his company no matter where we were, I just wanted him to relax with me. I chewed my lip as I carefully worded my next statement. "I know you can handle it, you survived through the Crusades after all. But I don't want you to have to handle it. I like being around you, no matter what we are doing. I would be happier watching a movie together in my room where we can cuddle and you can rest, than if we went out while you are obviously tired and won't be able to enjoy it as much."

When he opened his mouth to object, I gripped his hands again. "Please Maximus? Vlad said Samir will be coming back soon and if you want, once you catch up on your sleep, then we can continue our in town dates. But I wouldn't enjoy myself knowing that you're exhausted while we were out."

He clicked his mouth shut, his scowl carved deep into his face as he sighed through his nose. "I just want to provide for you, however I am able. It feels wrong to not be doing that…"

The words tugged on my heart, yet another reminder of his past relationships and their horrid standards. If he wasn't doing something for his partner then he didn't feel comfortable. The thought of his mistreatment for so many years frustrated me to no end, but I put that to the side for now and focused on convincing him that it was also perfectly fine to accept comfort when he needed it.

I tugged on his hands until he knelt to be face to face with me, his thighs settling against my chair before I leaned our foreheads together. My hands worked into his hair, gently massaging his scalp and making his eyes slide closed in bliss. I trailed my mouth against his cheek, breathing my next words softly against his temple. "I appreciate that, but Maximus I want to take care of you too. You always take such wonderful care of me, whether you're comforting me after a nightmare or cooking me dinner just because you know I have difficulty reaching the counter top. I want to return the favor and be where you go when you need to rest and recharge from the bad days. Can I do that for you?"

Familiar arms encased me as he burrowed his face into my shoulder, his nose rubbing against my pulse point as he gave in. "Alright, but once Samir arrives we will be going out and doing whatever you choose. No restrictions and no time frames." I squeezed him closer as I hummed in agreement, enjoying the feel of his hair against my cheek and his weight leaning against my front.

"Now that it is decided, do you want to switch to my bed? Maybe a movie or two and then we can go take a stroll through the indoor gardens?" A nod against my neck was the answer, his body sluggishly pulling up to walk over to the bed. Every move cost him herculean effort, the process of removing his boots seeming to take all the leftover energy he had before as he swayed slightly from his sitting position on the bed.

It was a good thing we were staying in, I don't want to imagine how exhausting it would have been for him if we had gone out. Rolling over to him, I kissed him before curling my hands into the hem of his shirt. It had become a ritual of sorts for us at bedtime for me to remove his shirt. His pants usually stayed on unless we were planning on exploring more and tonight was no different.

As I carefully tugged the shirt over his head and threw it into the nearby laundry basket, I took a moment to appreciate how adorable he was like this. His hair rustled beyond recognition, his eyes unfocused from how tired he was and the warm smile he gave me as he flopped backwards onto the bed made me grin. I was insanely lucky to have him, and if all went well I would never be letting him go.

As he helped me remove my shirt and we curled up together to enjoy whatever movie we decided on, I sent a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening that I got to have these moments with this wonderful man. I wouldn't trade them for the world.


	20. Chapter 20

I opened my eyes and immediately closed them with a groan when the sun that I usually enjoyed seeing in the morning burned against my retinas. When I tried to breath in the air refused to move through my nose, the familiar sniffling paired with my sore throat and aching head alerted me to one vital thing. I was sick.

Biting back a moan, I sat up only to immediately regret it when my stomach decided to roll. Laying back down, I took deep breaths and prayed I didn't throw up in Maximus's bed. Usually we slept in mine but he'd passed out last night in his while we were watching a movie and I hadn't had the heart to wake him.

The familiar feeling of my head being stuffed with cotton and my sinuses having more pressure than Niagara Falls made me groan out loud. If history was any indication, I would get a fever too, if I didn't already have one…

My muffled moan caught Maximus's attention from his place in the bathroom where he'd previously been showering. The sound of running water filled my head with images of Maximus wearing nothing but a smile while under the spray. Forcing my hormones back with a curse, I turned my focus to watch as Maximus poked his head out of the bathroom.

His blonde hair was plastered to his shoulders and his eyes were worried as they settled on me. "Are you alright? I thought I heard a groan."

Deciding to get it over with, I admitted. "I'm sick." My voice came out muffled from my clogged sinuses but he got the picture. His previous worry increased sharply as he walked over to the bed, completely ignoring the fact that he was naked as he kneeled next to me and put his hand against my head.

His mouth twisted into a scowl, to my confusion. "It's just a cold, you shouldn't be so worried. Once I get some medicine and sleep for the next few days I'll be fine."

My words didn't seem to help as his face darkened. "Yes, bed rest will most definitely help. I'll make some soup as well as water. You can't let yourself get dehydrated or it will make your condition worse."

Before I could tell him that right now I doubted I could keep water down, he had already disappeared back into the bathroom. Less than a minute later he came back out dressed with his hair still soaked. Why was he suddenly rushing? Today was his late start day so he could actually enjoy his morning.

"Where y'going?" Ugh, my voice was already starting to slur. Apparently that fever was here, earlier than I wanted but oh well. Not like there was anything I could do about it.

Maximus stopped momentarily in his flurry of motion to drop a kiss to my head. "To the kitchen to get water and food, but before that I'm going to Vlad to ask for the day off to attend to you."

I immediately tried to protest, sitting up only to clutch my stomach when it rolled again. Maximus was at my side in a blink, his hand rubbing my back as he eased me back against his bed. "Don't argue with me. You're not feeling well, that means the only place I should be is by your side. Besides, Vlad has been wanting me to take a break lately and this is the perfect opportunity, although I'd prefer you weren't feeling ill for it."

I gave a weak huff of exasperation but stopped trying to fight him. At least Maximus would finally get some rest now…

It was an hour later when I realized how wrong that statement was. Maximus hadn't stopped to rest for one second since he'd left. After getting permission from Vlad to take the day off, he'd been a blur of motion. I couldn't even raise a finger to do something without him jumping to do it for me, the attention making me uncomfortable as he fluffed my pillows for the hundredth time.

He also constantly asked if I was alright, the question had started to get on my nerves after the first few times but now I was ready to smother him with a pillow to make him stop. "Maximus, I'm fine! Please, just lay down with me and relax."

I had no idea what had gotten into him, but he was practically vibrating with energy. When he hesitated, I grabbed his hand and tugged with insistence until he finally sat down. His frame was still stiff but at least he wasn't up and moving anymore.

"Alright, now that you're not moving like the Flash, what's wrong?" Because there was no way after that display there wasn't something eating at him. He grimaced, but turned to face me as he replied.

"I told you my mother passed from illness, although I understand this illness is far less deadly and modern medicine has come a long way, I dislike not being able to simply heal you. If it were deadly I could give you my blood and you'd be fine but natural illnesses are something the human body has to go through on its own. I know I'm acting overbearing for what is most likely a small cold, but I can't-." He stopped to try to get his words straight, but I knew what he meant.

He was afraid of losing me as he lost his mother and now that he mentioned it, I felt bad for how irritated I was getting with him. He cared about me and the last time he cared like this it had been the very woman who had died from an illness. It was normal that he would freak with me being sick. While I didn't have to like his worry, I would tolerate it.

Cupping his face, I dropped a kiss against his forehead. "I know what you mean. How about we watch movies for a bit? I won't be up and moving, you get a chance to relax and we get cuddles." It was always amusing to use words like cuddle when referring to a giant Viking of a man, but to Maximus's credit he had never complained once.

He smiled before nodding, turning his mouth to kiss the palm of my hand. "Alright, I will still be checking your temperature every half an hour though. No arguments."

I held my hands up in a show of surrender as he moved to put the movie on. Once he laid back down, I wasted no time in draping myself over his chest. His chuckle brushed my hair as his hands moved up and down my back. This was where I wanted to be.

As the movie began I felt sleep drag me down. Reluctantly I allowed it to, hoping I would feel better when I woke up, but not holding my breath. Usually when I got sick it lasted for at least two days.

As I drifted off I felt Maximus shift me until my head rested against the base of his throat. My confusion was smothered as sleep pulled me into the blissful darkness.

Maximus looked down at Zelda's dozing face, now curled into the hollow of his throat. This was the easiest position where he could feel her breath and hear her heartbeat. He knew that he wasn't acting logically, but as memories flashed through his mind of his mother on her death bed with a racking cough and unable to keep anything down despite his desperate attempts to make something she could eat, he couldn't make himself stop.

Zelda had wound herself around his heart, making a permanent place for herself, and the thought of losing her was devastating. He'd known early on in their relationship he was going to fall hard, but he'd never could have predicted just how hard.

Without a shadow of a doubt he knew he loved her and the thought was as enticing as it was terrifying. He had no fear about her using him or attempting to harm him as past women had done, but did she return the feeling? She'd been betrayed by her own mother to her rapist, both people whom she had trusted implicitly before their betrayals.

Could she love him? And could he live with it if she didn't? Leila had walked away from Vlad when he'd made it clear he couldn't love her, but as Maximus watched Zelda doze, listening to her steady heart beat and congested puffs of air, he doubted he could find the strength to do the same.

Running his hand through her hair, he grimaced when he felt the sweat soaked into the roots and the heat practically pouring off of her. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she needed an emergency bath to cool her off. She already said she refused to have a stranger touching her, but would she accept it if it were him?

He'd have to ask her when she was lucid next. As of yet he'd managed to get her to drink water but anything heavier than that she couldn't hold down. Seeing her retching had flamed the fire of his worry and had tugged on his heart for how miserable she'd looked.

He loathed that the only thing he could do for her was holding her hair back and making sure she drank water. If he could take her illness from her he would in a heartbeat, but he knew that wasn't how things worked.

Curling her closer, he resolved to push his worries down to the best of his ability. He knew he'd been frustrating Zelda with his hovering, she didn't need any extra stress while she was recovering. Sighing, he relaxed as the sound of her heartbeat lulled in to sleep.

When Maximus next woke, the first thing he noticed was an odd warmth at his side. It wasn't the normal heat that naturally radiated from Zelda, no this was much hotter. Cracking an eye open, he sat up with a jolt at Zelda's flushed face. He didn't have to feel her forehead to know she was burning up with a fever.

Forcing his irrational panic down to the best of his ability, he pulled himself away from her side and breezed to the door. "Someone fetch a thermometer, more water, soup and fever medicine." His tone left no room for argument as he turned back around. He had no doubt that his order would be followed post haste as he returned to Zelda's side.

He could hear her heart beating frantically, while the pace wasn't dangerous yet it would be if it got any faster. Uncertainty chewed on his mind as he considered his options. He hadn't had the chance to discuss with Zelda about what she wanted him to do if she needed a bath to cool off, but if her fever was as high as he thought it was…

His thoughts were broken by the knock on the door. Opening it, he came face to face with Leila who wore a worried frown. "Is she alright?"

She held a tray covered with all the things he'd requested which he quickly took while gesturing her inside. "I'm not sure. She's burning up, but I've yet to check her temperature. If it's too high I'll have to cool her down…"

He didn't have to explain further, the look of sympathy Leila shot him broadcasted her understanding. Before she left again, she told him. "I'll mention to Vlad that you need another day to watch over her, possibly a week."

He nodded in gratitude, showing her out before refocusing on Zelda. Maybe he could rouse her long enough to get her permission?

As if in response to his thoughts, she stirred with a groan. Sitting next to her, he stroked his hand through her hair as she slowly came around. "Was going on?" The slur to her voice didn't help his worry but he pushed it to the side for now. There were more important things to focus on.

"I need to ask you something while you're somewhat lucid." She gave him an offended look as she replied.

"I'm perfectly lucid all the time, thank you very much." Her face scrunched up in offense when he chuckled at the pout on her mouth.

"Of course you are, but if your fever spikes any higher I'll need to bath you. I am uncomfortable doing so without your permission." He waited as she processed the words, the fever making her mind run slower.

He knew the second she understood, the pink flush lighting up her cheeks an even darker red than her fever accounted for as she open and closed her mouth. She looked away, mumbling under her breath. "I don't see why not, you've already seen me mostly naked."

He could tell she was uncomfortable with the thought despite her acceptance, so he offered an alternative. "Or if you'd prefer I could wash you with a bathing suit on and help you change out of them when you are lucid?"

She nodded with relief, "I know that you wouldn't do anything, but-." He dropped a kiss on her head to cut her off.

"It's understandable to not want anyone undressing you while you are unable to do so yourself. I don't hold it against you in the slightest."

She curled into his throat, relaxing into him as his arms brought their own form of comfort. This was just one of the reasons why she liked him. He could have just done it without asking her thoughts on the matter, most people would have, but he'd made a point of getting her permission and even when she'd given it, he could tell she wasn't comfortable and offered something else.

She still hoped her fever didn't reach that point, she was already enough trouble to him as it was, but she was glad that if it did get bad he would be there. She remembered many times over the years when fevers would strike and she had only herself for comfort. This was a massive improvement.

"Thank you, have I told you how much I appreciate you lately? I feel like I don't say it enough…" He tugged her more securely to his chest, the praise warming him as he responded in kind.

"You tell me that and more every day, in words and in actions. I never have to wonder where I stand with you, you make sure of it." She hummed happily when he started running his hand through her hair, the light massaging against her scalp making her lean in.

Comfort and exhaustion dragged her back into the abyss of sleep, but not before she muttered. "It's scary, you know."

She continued on, not hearing his question of what was scary. "You're perfect, and I'm already halfway in love with you. But there's no way you'll feel the same."

He stared in surprise as she dozed off, his hand freezing in her hair as he processed the words she'd said in her fever haze. Halfway to being in love with him. No one had ever loved him, not like this anyway. His mother had, of course, but this was different.

All good parents love their children, but for a person to develop such strong emotions for you that they'd be willing to do anything to keep you safe despite having no obligation to…that is love.

The thought that she was even halfway there was equally daunting and exciting. If it took root then there was always the chance it would grow even more and as he stared in wonderment down at the woman contently dozing on his chest, he realized just how much he wanted that.

After the centuries of women only wanting one thing from him, he'd assumed being alone was his punishment from God for his past crimes. But now as the words reverberated inside his head, a deep ache made its home in his chest.

He wanted her to love him, all of him, with nothing held back. And he wanted to adore her in the same all consuming way.

Taking a moment, he breathed in just how it would feel to have their lives so irrevocably connected that neither of them could go a day without the other. His ache grew until it was nearly physical, blinking back the tears of longing, he tightened his arms around her.

She hadn't meant to tell him that, but the fact that she did overjoyed him. He would continue to show her what she meant to him and maybe, if he was lucky, she would be his entirely.

The thought of belonging to her in return sent pleasant chills down his back. Hers. Yes, that fit perfectly…

He allowed himself to slip into sleep, the warm body on top of him reassurance enough that the woman who held his heart in her tiny hands was okay.


	21. Chapter 21

I stared around at the ballroom, the colors and crowds dazzling me as I looked out over the elaborate party. It'd only been a week since my sickness, which thankfully hadn't gotten worse, and I still felt slightly woozy. Despite that, I stared out at the couples swaying around on the dance floor with an aching longing.

There was no way I'd be able to stand long enough to do that, I couldn't even get my foot to twitch on command nonetheless stand for any length of time. Usually I could keep myself from falling into the self pity trap, but just this once I let the ache spread.

As if sensing my melancholy, the crowds parted to let Maximus through. His grey eyes locked on me as he made his way over. He looked amazing in his tux, the pressed fabric tailored specifically to him and thus fitting every muscle as if it were painted on. I could only hope I looked half as nice in my dress.

Usually I kept away from anything like this, my wheels making it difficult to move without getting caught, but with everyone dressed to the nines I couldn't afford to be the only one not in something fancy.

Maximus had liked the dress though, his eyes raking down my form the minute I came into sight with Leila an hour earlier, and his obvious attraction had helped me deal with the discomfort of wearing it. If it were just us I wouldn't have a problem at all, but it felt like the hundreds of people around me were all staring in judgement. Even though I knew they weren't it was still hard to shake the feeling of being watched.

Calloused hands settled on my shoulders, pulling me back to the present as Maximus bent down to be level with me. "Are you alright? You're looking a bit down."

Even when he wasn't right next to me, he knew when I wasn't feeling right. Did he have a radar or something? Shaking off the thought, I tried to force a smile while shaking my head.

"It's nothing that anyone can fix, sorry. I'll try to be more animated."

My answer made his mouth pull further into a scowl. "Why don't you tell me more about what's going on and I'll decide if I can't help."

It felt stupid to say out loud, but I knew that now he wouldn't let it go. Mumbling under my breath, I hoped no one but him heard. "I wish I could dance with you, that's all."

His eyes softened but no trace of pity showed itself as he stroked my shoulders. I was thankful for that, I hated pity more than anything and seeing it from him would hurt more than I'd like to admit.

He surprised me when he spoke again, "You _can_ dance with me, if you want to."

I blinked in shock, glancing down at my lap and the chair I sat in before slowly looking back to him with open confusion.

A slow smile curled his lips before he gestured out to the dance floor, "Look at Vlad and Leila, we can dance just like they are."

I hesitantly looked where he pointed, Leila was perched on Vlad's shoes with her arms around his shoulders and his hand resting against her hip. I still didn't see how I was going to make my legs work long enough to stand on Maximus's feet and I told him that.

He just smiled, "Look closer at her feet. She isn't standing on his shoes."

Again I blinked in surprise before taking a closer look as he asked me to. He was right, there was a sliver of distance between their shoes, but how did-?

It clicked. Vlad was holding her weight off her feet, her shoes were probably killing her ankles by now and no one would notice, or dare to comment if they did. I certainly hadn't until Maximus had pointed it out…

Chewing my lip, I glanced up at him while considering the new option in front of me. I _did_ want to dance with him and while everyone would know what we were doing, I've been in a wheelchair everyday since I came so it would be obvious, did it really matter what they thought?

Coming to a decision, I nodded and Maximus smiled before sweeping in front of me to drop into a dramatic bow. "Would my lady care for a dance?"

The action made me laugh even as nerves tried to choke me. Pushing them to the side, I accepted. "I would indeed my kind knight. If you'd be ever so helpful to get me out of this chair?"

Familiar arms wrapped around my waist in the next instant, bringing me up to be cradled against his chest. The position was comfortable and I instinctively melted into him as his hands shifted to support my back and legs as he moved to the music. For all intents and purposes, it looked as if we were any other couple and for just a moment I decided to relish in it.

My arms tightened around his neck, cuddling closer as the gentle sway of the music nearly rocked me into a light sleep. Ugh, those few days I was sick had really taken a toll, even now I was still tired.

Maximus chuckled, the vibrations rolled through his chest where my cheek rested. "Don't go to sleep yet. The party should only last for a bit longer, then I'll escort you back myself."

The mention of his escort dragged me back to the present with a flare of heat between my thighs. Now _that_ sounded divine. And maybe, just maybe, we could go all the way tonight. Ever since I'd first seen him in his tux I'd wanted nothing more than to strip him back out of it and to my surprise I didn't want to stop at just that. I wanted more.

More than anything we've done so far. The thought that maybe tonight would be the night we completely gave ourselves to each other pushed the rest of my drowsiness out the window. I felt ready and as long as Maximus didn't have anything he had to do afterwards, I could make my move.

What that move would be, I wasn't sure, but I wasn't going to back out now. I'd made my decision and unless I felt a legitimate reason, my nerves not counting as one, to not give everything to Maximus then that was what would be happening tonight.

Besides, if it's too much for me Maximus would back down. He'd already shown he would when it was needed, so nerves weren't necessary on my part.

The song ended, much to my displeasure, and Maximus carefully put me back in my chair as the illusion of us being a normal couple shattered. Seeing my disappointment, he brushed a kiss to my forehead.

"Don't look so downtrodden, I'll happily do that again with you later in private but for now Vlad needs my help with a guest."

The statement snapped me out of my daze, now that my brain wasn't fogged with Maximus I could hear the sound of raised voices not far off. I bit my lip as Maximus turned to address it with Vlad not far behind.

I couldn't understand what was being said but the voice sounded angry. Gripping Maximus's hand, bringing him to a stop momentarily, I managed to squeeze out. "Please be careful."

His surprise faded into a smile that warmed me throughout before he dropped another kiss to my head. "I will be back soon, this shouldn't take long."

I watched as his back disappeared through the crowd, discomfort mounted as he completely vanished from my sight. I tried to shake it off, feeling ridiculous for feeling frightened just because he had to leave my side.

I'm a grown woman, I can handle being in a crowd without Maximus here to hold my hand. Even though I kept repeating that to myself, my nerves kept climbing until the world around me felt like it was spinning and I wasn't getting enough oxygen.

My vision was bleary but I managed to make my way to the nearest balcony, all but gasping for breath when I hit the open air. This was pathetic, I couldn't even handle being in a crowd without Maximus…

The sound of booted strides from behind me made me relax. Of course he'd noticed I'd left the room, he noticed everything with that radar of his. I hope he didn't stop what he was doing to follow me…

Forcing a calm I didn't feel, I turned. "I'm sorry, I had to get some air. You can go back-."

The man in front of me was certainly _not_ Maximus. He was about a half foot shorter than him and most of all, his eyes were icy cold as they stared down at me. Swallowing hard, I tried to back away only to realize there was nowhere to go, the balcony behind me had me trapped and the only exit was on the other side of the man who hadn't looked away from me.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. If you'll excuse me…" I tried to edge around him, my previous anxiety sky rocketing from the close proximity of a male other than Maximus. Apparently I hadn't gotten any better in that regard either…

Before I could get far, his hand clasped my arm, the iron grip making my skin crawl and dread rise in my chest. Something wasn't right…

His mouth twisted harshly as what looked like guilt and torment swirled in his eyes before his arm lashed out toward me. I barely had time to lurch to the side, his surprise at my sudden move loosening his grip enough for me to tumble out of my chair and away from him.

Not wasting a minute as I watched him whirl to lunge at me, I screamed with everything I had in me. My assailant cursed but instead of running, like I expected him to when we both heard the familiar sound of Maximus and Vlad shouting while making their way toward us, he hefted me over his shoulder and ran.

From my new vantage point, I could only watch as the familiar blond head of hair came bolting out of the balcony doors. I barely got out a cry of his name before my captor swung his fist back to crack against my skull, momentarily dazing me as he ran. The last thing I saw before the forest surrounding Vlad's castle swallowed everything else was Maximus's face scrunched in torment as he raced after us, but I knew he wouldn't make it in time.

My last thought before I lost track of him entirely in the trees was that I wished I had given myself to him before instead of waiting. Now I might never get to feel what it was to make love with someone you loved more than anything. The thought made tears gather in my eyes as a dull pounding started in my head.

What was this man planning to do with me?


	22. Chapter 22

Maximus chased after the unknown vampire who had Zelda slung over his shoulder, equal parts rage and terror racing through him as he ran through the trees. He knew the chance of finding them was slim to none, the thick forest surrounding Vlad's castle was perfect for defense for just this reason, but he couldn't make himself go back without trying.

The disturbance had been a distraction to get him away from Zelda and it had worked perfectly. The scream that had silenced all noise inside the ballroom had sent pure ice through his veins. It had only taken him seconds to vault over the other guests, Vlad's voice raising to order the other guards to seal off the exits as Maximus had lunged for the source of the scream.

Even the seconds it had taken him to reach outside had been too many. Zelda's tear streaked face flashed in his mind, the terror painted on her face souring his stomach as he scrambled to think of who would do such a thing.

Briefly his mind flashed back to the clearing where he'd first had to reveal what he was to her. He had killed their attacker, thus losing any information they might have had from him. Now he wished he hadn't ended the miserable man so swiftly. There was apparently someone out for Zelda's blood and if his hunch was right, that person had her now.

Or would have her soon, if they couldn't save her in time. The thought of what someone _could_ do to his beloved made him want to stop to lose the contents of his stomach. She was only _just_ starting to recover from her last trauma and this happened.

As he thought on how it would effect her if the person who'd taken her sexually assaulted her, a wrath unlike any he'd every felt before screamed to the surface. He _would _get her back, and if anyone had dared breath near her in such a way… He would show them why he had been feared during the Crusades as one of the most vicious fighters.

As long as she survived, he could help her through anything else. He sent up a prayer for her safety as Vlad's voice called him back to the castle.

Reluctantly, he followed. Chasing blindly was never a good idea especially in such heavily wooded areas as Romania. As he walked back, his stride increased as a thought struck him. Leila. She could track Zelda!

She had plenty of essence trails to choose from and if she didn't he had more than enough himself. Before his next thought he was running full pelt back to the castle. If they moved fast enough they could stop the captor from leaving with Zelda…

Maximus came to a skidding halt in front of Vlad, feeling every inch the wild animal as he spun to Leila. "Do you have an essence trail?"

Leila grimaced, shaking her head but already moving toward him. "No, she doesn't like me touching her for long, but that's why we called you back."

He stayed perfectly still while her hand traced his shoulder, the memory of when her arms had locked around his neck not thirty minutes ago made a fierce ache start in him. He forced himself to focus and to not spiral into despair. They could still save Zelda, they had to. It wouldn't be the last time he held her.

It took only a moment for Leila to declare that she knew where they were headed and with that, their destination was set. Maximus followed behind Vlad as Leila led the way through the forest, his heart aching with every minute he and Zelda were separated.

If they got her back unscathed he would never let her out of his sight again. Forcing back the wild panic, he focused his energy on a more useful thought process. What he would do to the person who'd dared to remove her from his side.

A dark thrill went through him as possibilities of the punishments he could do blazed through his mind. He hadn't used most of those methods since his time in the Crusades, the brutal techniques something he was more than happy to leave behind, but now nothing seemed more fitting than tearing Zelda's kidnapper apart in every painful way he knew how.

As Leila announced their approaching the destination, he forced a calming breath. _Please let her be alive and unharmed when we get there_…


	23. Chapter 23

I felt nothing but terror as my captor finally stopped running. Was he stopping to kill me? Or…something worse?

The thought of anyone doing such a thing to me again sent bile up my throat. No. I would fight with everything I had to get to the knife Maximus insisted I carry and plunge it into my captor's chest. If that didn't work, I'd think of something else. I would _not_ be taken again, not when I hadn't even been with Maximus, the man I loved, in such a way.

This filth would die before I allowed it to happen. I could feel the knife brushing against my leg with every movement, but my arm was stuck at an odd angle. I couldn't reach it from my position slung over his shoulder. Maybe if I could convince him to put me down long enough I could stab him in the chest, Maximus had said that twisting the silver blade in a vampire's heart was how to kill them... With any luck, Maximus was still in the forest or nearby and I could scream for him to find me.

Turning my attention to my captor, I tried to not let on what my plan was. "What do you want from me? I don't have money…"

My captor stiffened, the previous guilt I'd seen before becoming clearer as he shook his head. "I don't want anything from you. I don't have any illusions that I'll survive this either. I know who the voivode is and the man who claims you as his own."

Confusion made me pause in trying to stealthily get to my knife. If he knew all that then why was he doing it?

Apparently I asked out loud, because he answered. "My daughter. I received a picture today and a message that if I didn't bring you with me, she would pay."

Something in his tone made me pause, who would want me so badly as to orchestrate this? Lance was the only one who came to mind but he had no idea where I was and no strings to pull in Romania. At the end of my rope, I tried to reason with him.

"You can still go to Vlad. He might save your daughter, even if he does kill you. Besides, what guarantee do you have that doing this will save her?"

He stiffened under me and briefly I felt hope that he was coming around, only for that hope to be blown to smithereens when he whipped out a knife from his jacket and lifted me up. Terror bit at my soul as the knife's tip lodged into my stomach, but before I could try to convince him not to kill me, a deep growl froze me in my tracks.

The sound sent chills through my spine, but not of terror. Looking up, I locked eyes with Maximus's grey and felt nothing but relief. Tears overflowed as I choked out past sobs that were building in my throat.

"Maximus!" I saw his muscles tense into granite, his mouth tightened into a thin line as he glared with a truly terrifying bloodlust at my captor. He was ready to spring the second this knife was out of my stomach.

I felt blood trickle down my dress, Maximus's eyes flickered down to follow it before another rumble came from his throat that seemed to silence all the sounds of the forest around us. Leila's hand clamped onto his shoulder, most likely stopping him from making a lunge for me and possibly driving the knife in further.

I blinked in surprise when I could only see Leila and Maximus, Vlad nowhere to be found to my confusion. Where ever Leila was, Vlad shouldn't be too far behind, so where-?

It clicked in the next instant as Leila began talking to my captor. Vlad must be waiting for an opportunity to strike. My eyes subtly began searching the surroundings for his form only to give up after a moment. Just knowing that he was most likely there helped sooth my fear as I listened to Leila stall.

"What were you hoping to gain by kidnapping my sister? Everyone knows Vlad doesn't make deals with people, he kills them and I'm no different."

I felt my captor tense, the knife twitching in my stomach and forcing a bubble of blood past my lips as pain burned through me.

When my captor made no move to answer, I gritted out. "His daughter is ransom." My words were immediately met with another jerk of the blade that had me crying out, the noise pulling an animalistic hiss from Maximus.

Leila grimaced, her eyes locked onto the slowly stretching injury and how fast I was losing blood. We were going to have to hurry this along or I'd bleed out before any of them could get me out of here

"Alright, your daughter was taken hostage, I'm guessing. So how about this, you let her go and give us all the information you have. Then I track your daughter through her essence trail left on you. Everyone wins." Leila's compromise made me freeze in shock, did she seriously think Vlad would go for that?

However as her words rolled around in my mind, I realized that she'd never said what would happen to my captor. Only his daughter.

I kept my mouth shut as he seemed to think it over, not knowing the trap that waited. After a moment, his face scrunched in desperation before he shook his head. "You don't understand, _she_ told me that my daughter would be sold if I didn't do this. I can't risk her living that hell that so many other children have to."

A sickening realization came over me. A child trafficking ring. How had that taken form in Romania of all places!? Before I could ask, Vlad spoke out from the shadows.

"And how would such a thing take place right under my nose?" My captor spun to face Vlad, ignoring Leila and Maximus as he focused on the new threat.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me anything else. Just gave me a picture and instructions. I can't-." The rest of his sentence was cut off as the clearing erupted into a blur of motion. With his attention focused on Vlad, Leila released Maximus and lunged for him.

Seeing the movement out of the corner of his eyes, he ripped the knife out of my stomach and lunged for Leila. Terror burned past the pain as I saw him turn to my sister like a cornered animal. I couldn't let him hurt her!

Finally able to reach my knife, I ripped it out of its sheath and buried it into the man's thigh. His howl rang in my ears as his arm struck me, sending my flying back into a tree. I felt my spine crack as a cry wrenched from my lips and my veins turned to liquid fire.

The next time I opened my eyes, my captor had a furious Leila perched on his back with Vlad standing not far off with a truly terrifying smile leveled at the one pitifully shaking under his wife's voltage. Before I could take in a painful breath, Maximus was crouched next to me with a bloody wrist pressed to my mouth.

I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I knew what he wanted. Through my befuddled mind, I forced myself to drink his blood. Seconds later I felt as the bones in my back snapped into place from their painful collision with the tree and the open wound on my stomach close as if it had never been there.

The sounds around me finally began to make sense, the first thing I heard being Maximus's low voice whispering soothing nothings in my ear as his hand stroked my stomach where the injury had healed. Taking his hand, I squeezed it and watched as relief poured through him.

Before I could say anything, my captor's voice cut through the air in response to something Leila must have said

"You said you can track? Please find my daughter, I don't care what you do to me, but please don't let her suffer in that hell."

I watched Leila glance at Vlad, who grimaced. I knew that if they went along with it now it would make Vlad appear weak at best and put a target on my back as well.

After a moment, Leila nodded to Vlad before refocusing on the man wedged under her high heel. The sight impressive in more ways than one as I watched my sister snarl down at him.

"No I wont help you. Here's what I will do though, I'm going to stomp you into the curb for kidnapping my sibling. Then I'm going to pull any useful information from your head and find your kid and all the others like her because no one deserves what they're going through right now. Then I'm going to figure out who the hell set all of this up. After I finish with you I'm going to hand you off to the partner of the girl you took hostage and I guarantee he isn't going to be nice to you. Did I miss anything babe?"

The speech was punctuated by her glancing pointedly at Vlad, the nickname not being commented on as he stepped forward with his terrifying smile still in place. "No darling you seem to have it all covered, although I will be with you for that curb stomping and rescue mission of course."

The man pales as he glances at Maximus, who had stopped staring at me in relief long enough to grin with pure bloodlust that under other circumstances would frighten me. As it stood, I was too relieved to be back in his arms to care about what he did to this man or anyone else.

Instead of fighting, the man went limp with relief and resignation. "I don't care what you do to me as long as my daughter lives."

If only he'd gone to Vlad immediately, then he wouldn't have to be separated from his child at all…

Shaking the thought to the side, I glanced up at Maximus. His hair was tussled from more than the run through the woods and his eyes held a dark edge to them that was slowly receding. It reminded me of the brief terror I'd seen in his eyes and suddenly all I wanted was to go home.

I don't know when the castle started to become home to me, but for the moment I was too exhausted to try to figure it out. Tugging weakly on Maximus's arm, he immediately glanced down. His eyes traced over every inch of me in worry as I spoke.

"Can we please go home? I'm really tired and I just want to-." As all the fear, despair and relief broke over me I felt tears choke my sentence as Maximus wrapped me into his arms.

His chin rested against the top of my head as he replied. "Of course, as long as the voivode doesn't have need of me?"

I didn't hear anything so I assume Vlad shook his head, because in the next instant Maximus lifted me against his chest before spinning to begin the trek back to the castle. He tucked me up into his throat, the position offering comfort that I desperately needed as Vlad and Leila's forms disappeared in the distance.

"Zelda, did he touch you?" The sudden break in silence made me jump, but after the words penetrated I shook my head.

"No, although I thought he was going to. I wish he'd had the sense to bring all of this to Vlad beforehand. The thought of his daughter being raised without a parent all because someone wanted to kidnap me is painful…"

Maximus's arms tightened in agreement, "Vlad may make an exception in this case. Possibly have the man come onto the staff as a servant to work off his life debt. Whatever he decides is entirely up to him. All I care about is that you're safe and in my arms again."

I cuddled closer, relief and joy blossoming that I got to do this again. As I calmed down, I remembered my earlier decision that tonight would be _the _night. After everything that had happened I wasn't sure Maximus would even be in the mood. Surprisingly enough I still was, as a matter of fact after almost never getting to have that moment with him, I wanted to even more now.

I felt as if fate had given me a second chance to share this with him and doing anything else but taking it would be a dare for life to tear us apart again. But that still left how Maximus would react if I broached the subject. Would he deny me because he thinks I don't know what I want? I hadn't mentioned my plan before this disaster started, after all. Maybe I could convince him that this was truly what I wanted?

It was only when we entered the castle doors that I pulled myself out of my thoughts. He wasted no time in moving to my room, his strides short and clipped. I watched as people practically dove out of his way, forming a path until he stood outside of my door.

My bed had never looked more inviting, but sleep wasn't what I had in mind right now. Maximus set me down on the sheets, his hands smoothing over the bed spread as he placed me down. His fingers grazed over the bloodstained dress with obvious pain. "So close to losing you…"

I could easily see the dark thoughts edging their way to the front and I wanted none of that. Clasping his face in my hands, I pulled him into a kiss. "But you didn't. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

It was true, nothing but death would pull me from his side and as he slowly relaxed against me, I knew that he knew that too. I relished in the feel of his mouth against mine, the moan his tongue pulled from me sending the first sparks of passion down between my legs as I rubbed up against him.

He froze, staring down at me with uncertainty and it was all I could do not to groan. I knew he was going to do this…

"You just had a massive shock to your system and enough adrenaline to kill a small animal, this is not a good time to decide to do this. I don't want you to regret it later. I want your first time, our first time to be special."

I bit back a sigh of exhaustion, while I loved this man I wish he wasn't so painfully perfect sometimes. I didn't drop my hold on his face, stroking his jaw as I replied.

"I know you think I'm rushing into this out of adrenaline or fear but I wanted this before. I was considering asking you for tonight to be our first before the party but when you asked me to dance I decided that tonight _would _be the night. All I could think about when that man threw me over his shoulder was how I would never get to feel what making love to you was like all because I let my fear hold me back. We've been together over half a year and in that time you've walked me through every obstacle. Our first time will be special because it is you and me, and nothing else matters."


	24. Chapter 24

I watched as his eyed slid shut, his resolve fighting against his lust as I waited to see which won out. We could wait, if he really wanted to, but after nearly losing him all I wanted was to feel him. I wanted that connection to him that poets and sappy romance films sang about, I wanted him to rewrite my experience with sex and replace with something sacred as it should be and I want to change _his_ experience with sex in the same way. We'd both been used as instruments of pleasure, but now it was time to know what real love making was and I wanted it to be with him.

When he opened his eyes next, they were glowing green and so intense they hurt to look at. His arms came to wrap around me as he pulled me into a scorching kiss and breathed into my ear. "If you want to stop or change your mind at any time, say so. I will honor it, no questions asked and no blame, I don't care how far into the act we are. Understood?"

I smiled with all the joy I was capable of expressing while nodding, I knew that he would never force me if I wanted to back out but if it made him feel better to hear me reaffirm it. "I understand. I don't think it's going to be a problem this time though."

His eyes burned into me as he hummed, the path they raked down my body feeling like a physical caress. I tugged at the top of my dress, only taking a moment to mourn the loss of the pretty garment before turning to him. "A little help please?"

His eyes burn as his fingers gently tug the cloth over my head, every stroke against my skin feeling erotic as he traces over every dip and scar in my skin. His tongue sneaks out to wet his lips as he eyes the blood left over from the attack. He pauses as his eyes meet mine with the obvious request in them. I open my arms without complaint, letting him make the decision.

He falls forward easily, shucking his tux in the seconds it takes him to crouch over me. Instead of feeling caged by his body, I feel protected and safe as he shuffles further down to rest his chest against mine before he stops. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders I drag him the rest of the way down until his weight completely sprawled across my front.

"You don't have to hesitate, I want your touch just as much as you want to touch me. So please, stop holding yourself back and do what both of us want." He shivered above me as my words seemed to break the last of his restraints.

His hands traced along my sides as his mouth leaves kisses from my collar, trailing down to my side where the injury had been. His tongue tickles as it flicks out to slide across my skin, reassuring himself that I really was here with him as he cleans the last of the evidence away. When the last of it had disappeared, he lifted his head to stare directly at me.

Before he could ask, I put a finger to his lips. "Yes, I'm completely sure this is what I want. Now, please Maximus, make me yours."

Sparks shoot from his eyes at my words, the sight making a primal satisfaction flare in me before he growls. "I will be yours just as you'll be mine. Never forget that, Zelda."

I did know that, but I couldn't wait to experience it for myself. His hand trailed down to his length as he lined himself up with my center, the brush of him agonizing in my impatience.

Just as he went to push forward, a booming knock sounded on the door.

We both stared in complete incredulous irritation. Seriously?! When another more fervent knock sounded I let out a groan of pure disappointment. Timing, whoever that was had better have some important news. Maximus looked ready to rip the person on the other end of the door to shreds if they didn't.

This was proven when he snarled, "What!? If it isn't life or death then I'm giving you _one_ chance to walk away or it will be _your_ death."

I didn't doubt him for a second and if the minutes worth of hesitation from the other side of the door was any indication then neither did they.

"Sir, the voivode and his wife are leaving to extinguish the child trafficking ring. The voivode ordered for your presence…"

I could hear the poor messenger's nerves and with a wistful glance down where we were _so close_ to being joined how we both ached for, I released a sigh. I knew what had to be done but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"Alright, please tell the voivode he'll be with him shortly." I could hear as the messenger all but ran away from the door, his relief obvious as I turned to an incredulous Maximus.

My hands ran through his hair as I fought off my own disappointment at this turn of events. "Those kids need you. While the timing couldn't be worse, this can't wait. When you get back you can bar the door and we can pick up where we left off, but this isn't something you can ignore and I refuse to rush through this. I'll be fine until you get back."

He gave one more mournful glance down between us before letting out his own groan. His mouth brushed my head as he leaned back, glaring petulantly at his groin as if it were somehow its fault for our current predicament.

"You're right, you deserve for this to be done right and I can't do that with an order from Vlad hanging over my head. I will go with him, but rest assured I will think of nothing but you until I return."

His mouth was a searing brand when he kissed me, but before I could return the sentiment because there was no way I would be thinking of anything other than him after _this_ he had disappeared out the door with his clothes from the floor.

Flopping back onto the bed, I sighed in pure frustration. Well _that_ certainly didn't go to plan.


	25. Chapter 25

Maximus stared forlornly at the closed door, _so close_… Shaking off the thought and the ache that still burned in his loins, he made his way toward the entrance. Zelda was right, this wasn't something that could wait, those kids needed to be rescued immediately and they could pick back up where they left off once he came back.

Though, the idea of barricading the door was becoming more and more appealing by the minute…

Turning the corner, Vlad and Leila stood waiting for him. When he stopped next to his old friend, Vlad sniffed the air before understanding dawned. A sardonic smile twisted his lips as they locked eyes.

Maximus already knew what he was thinking and shared his humor. "Karma, isn't it?"

Vlad shook his head, the smile never leaving as he gestured to the car. "It would seem so, although given the circumstances surrounding your relationship I would have preferred Karma wait to sink its nails in you."

Leila stared in confusion as the two chatted, not seeing the correlation until Vlad asked, "How close?"

A granite hard smile carved into Maximus's face as he glanced with aching longing back up to the room and the woman he'd just left. "Enough that if the messenger had come an instant later I would have gladly taken whatever punishment you dolled out. Nothing would have pulled me away from her side at that point."

Vlad nodded while Leila cringed in sympathy for her sister. To have come so far and just think she hit the finish line only for them to take Maximus was a bit cruel but there was nothing they could do about it. She'd apologize to her later but for now…

"Well, let's get this show on the road boys. The faster we get this finished, the faster Maximus can get home to his lady love and we get to sleep easier knowing one less ring exists in the world."

It was still massively surprising that someone had managed to build one under Vlad's nose but then again, Vlad only ran parts of Romania, not all of it.

In times like this she was sure he wished he did run all of it, this would never happen under his rule. It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if the first thing he did upon coming home was to rip into the leader of that area.

Maximus straightened, nodding in agreement with her bleak encouragement as he took the driver's seat out of habit. Vlad and Leila exchanged glances, an entire conversation flashing between them before they followed. Today was going to be a _long_ day.

They parked the car blocks away to not alert their prey of them approaching. There was no way of knowing how many people were guarding this place and the number of vampires was unknown as well. The last thing they needed was for one to take a kid hostage or to just kill them.

The building layout was mostly underground, Leila hadn't gotten much from the mystery woman's essence. Just flashes of the place and the vague area it was in, to her frustration. Vlad had been quick to remind her that her powers were only just starting to even out again and what she had gotten was enough for him to figure out where they were going. It didn't feel like enough but it would have to be.

Vlad gestured for Maximus to position himself in the front, ready to storm through at his signal while he brought Leila around to the side entrance. The basement was closer to this entrance and if Maximus started a big enough distraction, or killed all the captors, they could get the kids out without any casualties.

Once inside, they listened for the heartbeat's only to hear those from down below. Damn, that meant all the captors were vampires and they still had no idea if there was one guarding the kids or not.

Finding the door downward was easy, killing the guard they nearly knocked into before he could utter a sound was a bit trickier. Leila's whip had lashed out on instinct, cleaving his head off before any noise could escape him. Vlad's fire would have worked as well, but it was considerably more noticeable. He sent her an approving glance from over his shoulder as they continued to a large roomful of cells.

The design of the room was familiar and it only took a minute for Leila to grasp why that was. This was the same design as the cells in Vlad's prison from childhood. Her stomach twisted as she got her first glance at the children living the hell her husband had been forced to for so long.

The cells were tiny, even for children, making them have to crunch up to fit and briefly the horrified thought of how in the hell had an adult Vlad fit in one passed through her mind before she forced it down. Her husband didn't need her pity and neither did these kids. They needed her help to get out and _that_ she would give them.

Vlad gave the signal through his ear piece for Maximus to start the distraction and not a second later the sound of the front door being kicked in rang throughout the building. Running footsteps raced toward the front as voices boomed in Leila's ears, but she wasn't focused on that. Vlad was faced toward the door, poised to attack the second someone made a move into the room and thus giving her the clearance she needed to move to the cells.

The kids all shrunk back from her when she approached, their pitiful cries gouging holes into her heart as she knelt to their level. "It's okay now, we're here to get you guys out. The noise is a friend of ours keeping the guards distracted and we need to move quickly." She prayed they spoke English because her Romanian was still in its fledgling stages. Unless one of the kids cursed, she wouldn't understand them. Yet another thing she needed to work on…

Shaking the thought to the side, she watched as some of the kids lost their fear as hope bloomed. Thank God some of them _did_ understand her, although as she glanced at the ones still cowering, a good chunk didn't. She may have to get Vlad over here to calm them down, but for now she could focus on getting the ones who would come close enough out.

Dropping her voice into what she hoped was a soothing tone without being patronizing, she coaxed. "Alright, I know this is scary and you don't know us, but we need to get you guys out of here."

Seeing how some of them still hesitated, an idea struck her. Turning her body just enough for them to see Vlad at the entrance, she pointed at him with a confident smile. "See that man there? That's your _voivode. _And he's not going to let anything happen to you or me."

Vlad glanced back at her with confusion before understanding dawned when the kids all seemed to relax a bit. Some staring at him in wonder while others began to chatter in excitement over being rescued by the prince himself. She'd thought his legendary status amongst his people might help this along and was relieved to be proven correct.

For his part, Vlad didn't comment as he felt the children's eyes bore into him. If it made them feel better to make him into some saving knight then he'd allow it. He remembered with painful clarity how he'd begged for anyone to come and save him in the early years of his imprisonment. No one had come, but Leila and he could save these children. He wasn't a white knight, far from it in fact, but he'd let them believe he was.

The kids were all considerably more cooperative after that, a few hesitantly inching forward for Leila to help out of their cell. She quickly placed them down, knowing how Vlad hated touch and knowing that they most likely did as well. By the time she'd finished with half the cells that reached to the ceiling, her stomach was ready to evict all its contents onto the stone floor. The condition some of these kids were in was horrific and as she pasted on a comforting smile, the urge to run out and join Maximus in the slaughter was overwhelming.

"Don't." Vlad's voice broke her out of her thoughts. Turning partially to him, she waited for some elaboration which he gave after a second.

"I understand your rage, but right now you are where you're needed most. Let Maximus handle them, if you wish you can always join me when I visit them later in the dungeon but for now focus. They need you more than vengeance."

Leila forced her rage back with extreme difficulty and nodded at her husband. He was right, now was not the time to scare the hell out of the kids by whipping their captors into tiny pieces no matter how appealing the thought was. She'd never joined Vlad in the dungeon for anything but necessity however as she helped a little boy whose eyes were strikingly similar to Zelda's out of the cramped space, she acknowledged that there was a good possibility that she would be joining Vlad this time around.

"I'll be taking you up on that, but you're right. Not now." She focused all her attention on the kids, missing the intense stare Vlad leveled on her as she soothed the kids to the best of her ability.

One of them in particular caught her attention, the form was huddled all the way back into the cell and if it weren't for her supernatural sight she wouldn't have been able to see anything. The girl's eyes stuck out among all the others, the familiar copper making Leila's heart twist in her chest.

Reaching slowly into the hole, Leila watched as those eyes widened before little teeth sank into the fleshy part of her hand. Muffling a hiss, she sent up a prayer of thanks it wasn't the _charged_ hand the little girl had bitten. She understood her fright given the circumstances, but with her limited Romanian, this was the best she could do without calling Vlad over.

Ignoring the hand thoroughly clamped between the girl's teeth, Leila coaxed her as she maneuvered her arm to pull the kid out. "Hey there sweetheart, I doubt you can understand me, but just as soon as I get you out I won't touch you again, alright? I'm well versed in people who don't like touch and I'm not about to force it on you, but you have to work with me to get out of here."

The light of understanding dawned as she inched forward and with a sigh of relief Leila wiggled her out. Maybe she _did_ understand English, at least some of it anyway. Considering how young she looked, it was entirely possible that she only knew snippets. Romanian was her main language, most likely, and if Leila needed a translator she had Vlad but she was glad the girl understood some of what she was saying. Every bit counted…

Finally pulling her free, Leila went to set her down only for the girl to latch on tighter. Oh, this was new…

Vlad's eyes didn't leave his wife as she gently rocked one of the girls that didn't seem to want to let go of her. Patting her back, she shot a confused glance at Vlad with a helpless shrug when the girl refused to relinquish her hold.

The clinginess had surprised her, but he answered the confusion in a hushed voice. "People cope in different ways, Leila."

That was true, apparently this little one wanted to clamp to her and not let go. Which wouldn't be a _bad_ thing, if there weren't still other kids she needed to get free. Either Leila had been right and her English was limited, or she was too scared to listen as she cuddled closer to her chest. The ball of quaking bones and skin made Leila want to wrap her arms around the kid and promise that nothing would ever hurt her again. Apparently her maternal instinct _was_ still working, who knew?

Sighing through her nose, she called to Vlad. "A little help?"

He backed away from the door while still keeping his hearing focused for the sound of footsteps. Turning to Leila and the girl who shrank back from him, he explained in Romania what was going on to her.

While she relaxed slightly, her grip was still tight around Leila and it didn't truly surprise Vlad. He could see some of her injuries, the ones not hidden from her place curled against Leila's chest, and they spoke of prolonged torture and repeated assaults. He had much the same injuries in his younger years and seeing them again made wrath burn through him. Whoever had started this ring would be in his dungeon for centuries, he would ensure it.

When the girl refused to release Leila yet again, she gave him a helpless glance. She wasn't about to force the kid to let go, for one with how severely undernourished she was even the slightest bit of strength might break bones and for two…Well, Leila couldn't bring herself to remove the only thing giving this girl a feeling of safety in this mess. Even if the kid's chosen security blanket was Leila's hair…

She didn't bother untangling the little fingers, just letting her do as she pleased while waiting for some kind of plan from Vlad.

Her husband let out a sigh, eyeing the children that were still in their cages. There weren't too many, and most of them didn't speak English so it may be a good idea for him to handle it anyway, but he wasn't sure if they'd let him near enough to be of help.

Gesturing back to the door, he told her. "Take my post, I'll see if I can convince them to let me pull them free."

Leila nodded, giving him a tense smile and freeing one of her hands to squeeze his for the briefest moment before breezing to the door. This couldn't be easy on Vlad, what with all his own memories in a similar place, but she pushed her pity to the side and replaced it with adoration for the man who was ruthlessly wading through the worst of his past for the sake of kids he'd never met before.

That was her husband, the dragon in scarred scale, even though he'd deny it if she said so. Turning toward the door, Leila allowed her whip to uncoil and watched as the little girl in her arms stared in open fascination. She could stare all she liked as long as she didn't try to grab it…

Leila glanced back at Vlad only to feel her heart lurch up into her throat to choke her. He'd gotten most of the kids out now, but he'd had to pause because the boy from before with Zelda's eyes had latched onto his leg in a hug.

She watched as Vlad froze momentarily, memories assaulting him as a sharp pain cleaved through their bond of a past time with his son, before he haltingly wrapped one of his arms around the boy. The embrace lasted only a second, but even that amount felt painful to Vlad before the boy scuttled back into the crowd. Content to watch now that he'd gotten that out of his system.

Leila swallowed around her suddenly tight throat, the moment had been touching even though it had been equally as painful for Vlad to feel. She'd never seen him in the capacity of a parent before but now that she'd caught a glimpse…it fit him. She could almost imagine what he'd been like centuries ago with his own son and the image made her ache. Damn it, was now really the time to discover she wanted kids with this man!?

With his past he had more than enough reason to not want them. The topic had never come up, for obvious reasons, but maybe after they got out of here she'd broach the subject with him. He looked so _right_ with that boy curled against him, the image just sliding into place as if it was completely natural for him. Shaking off the thought and her new baby fever to be considered later, she snapped her attention to the door when footsteps began to run toward their direction.

Just as she was about to snap her whip at the intruder's head, she heard Maximus's voice. "It's me!" As if as an afterthought as he ran into the room.

Leila huffed, allowing her whip to fizzle out with frustration. "You could have said that earlier, I damn near took your head clear off!"

He grimaced, nodding in acceptance of her point before turning to Vlad who had just finished freeing the last of the children. "All the captors have been subdued and are ready for transport back to the castle."

As they discussed what would need to be done from here, the boy from before had wandered closer to the door. Before any of them could react, a final guard who they hadn't noticed wrestled him into a choke hold while backing away. The glint of terror the likes of a cornered animal in his eyes made Leila's stomach drop in dread. Damn it, they'd managed it this far without problems, that kid was _not_ going to die now! Not when he was so close to being out of this hellhole.

Before she could snap her whip and cleave the captor's legs off, Maximus lunged forward. She'd never seen Maximus fight like this, but as she watched him tear the pathetic excuse for a man limb from limb, she wasn't surprised. Staying far back, she watched as Maximus shredded the last of the guards. The man had been in the Crusades, one of the original templar knights, she would be stupid to get too close while he was in fight mode.

She glanced down at the boy now sitting on the floor, watching with stunned fascination as his previous captor was reduced to nothing more than bloody strips of muscle. To her surprise, he didn't seem scared of Maximus's display, in fact he seemed almost appreciative. It hit with the force of a sledge hammer.

The way the boy had cringed away from _that_ guard's touch specifically and his relief at seeing him dispatched now… That had been one of the people who'd defiled him and suddenly, Leila more than understood why he wasn't scared of Maximus.

That man had been this boy's personal satan, and he'd just seen Maximus rip him into shreds. Leila would have been appreciative of anyone who had killed Szylagi in such a way during her capture and she'd been held under less painful circumstances than these kids. She wouldn't fault the boy for being glad to see one of his captors gone.

She shared a knowing glance with Vlad, these kids were going to need some serious therapy after this… Not that she or Vlad were ones to talk, the shit they'd lived through would make a therapist cry, quit or puke and they'd never gone to see one. Still, it may do them some good. That was yet another thing she'd bring up to Vlad later, although by the look in his eyes he was already planning everything out.

Pulling herself back to the present, she felt the girl tense in her arms. Thankfully Leila had managed to push her head into her throat before Maximus had gone wild, but she could still see the aftermath. Unlike the boy, she looked slightly ill at the sight but again Leila couldn't blame her, it _was_ a gross sight.

Vlad moved to calm Maximus, knowing that he was the only one, aside from possibly Zelda, who could do so without losing life or limb. "We need to get the children back to the castle. We can search for their families from there and handle the rest of the preparations."

She watched as Maximus slowly relaxed, until he sighed with exhaustion. Glancing down at the boy, he grimaced at the show he'd put on. Hopefully he wouldn't be terrified to be in the car with him, while he could walk back to the castle he really didn't feel like it.

The boy lunged up into Maximus's arms, cutting off his concerns and making him jolt in surprise as the boy wrapped himself around Maximus in a hug. Well, apparently he had no reason to worry after all…

Patting the child's back, he looked over to Leila who was in much the same position with a little girl. She shrugged before tightening the hold she had around her bundle, if that's where the kid wanted to be she wouldn't evict her. The full body rubber under her clothes kept her voltage under control and her non gloved hand was at her side, ready in case they needed it.

After a moment, the boy squirmed to be let down, which Maximus immediately acquiesced to, surprised that he had allowed the hug at all if he were honest. The boy stared up at him, the similarity between his and Zelda's eyes burning into him as he watched the boy take him in. His eyes had been what had made him react so violently to begin with, the reminder of when Zelda had been held captive not twenty four hours ago surging his protective instinct to the surface.

Shaking off the unsettling emotions the boy brought out in him, he turned to Vlad and asked. "Are we ready to go home now?"

He had Zelda waiting for him and while he knew that he had to help Vlad get all of these prisoners settled before he could go to her, every step toward the castle was one in the right direction.

Vlad's mouth twitched in amusement as he moved back to Leila's side, the crowd of children following behind him like a herd of ducklings to his wife's amusement and his chagrin. Leila didn't bother to muffle her chuckles, the sight of Vlad's new following making humor flash through her. Trust her husband to pick up a pack of children without even trying. Oh she wished she had a camera right now…

Vlad shot her a grimace, edged with aggravation at her laughing, as he answered Maximus. "Yes, I believe so. We can give them blood on the way there."

With that, they all headed out toward the car while Vlad called his people to bring a few more vehicles to transport the rest of the children and get started on finding their parents.

Leila settled into the seat of the car, the girl still clinging tightly to her torso, as she watched the kids all chatter amongst themselves. It was only a minute before Vlad joined her, sparing a glance down at the child still clamped to her before taking his place at her side. The girl tensed briefly at his proximity, before slowly relaxing when he made no move for her, only gripping Leila's hand in his.

Relaxing against Vlad's side, Leila allowed herself to finally let go of the tension she'd held since this whole mess had started. One child trafficking ring down, while there were hundreds more in the world, at least Romania was most likely clear of them. Although, the steely glint in Vlad's eyes said he would most likely be taking a trip soon to check for himself if Romania had any more hiding in the shadows. Leila would go with him, finding these things was easier with her ability.

Seeing the determination in his wife's eyes, Vlad gave her hand a squeeze in understanding. He knew better than to try to talk her out of helping him, not when the mission had something this important at risk.

As she curled against him, he automatically opened his arm for her to take her normal place against his side. Words were unnecessary now.


	26. Chapter 26

Leila followed Vlad and Maximus with one of the prisoners over her shoulder. She'd finally managed to convince her cling-on that she was safe and thus didn't need to clamp to her any longer, although it had taken some doing on her part. Leila had left her with the staff and all the other kids, against the little girl's preferences but the dungeon was no place for her and Leila needed to make sure there were no other people involved in this mess. Not to mention she still had to find out _who_ had set up Zelda's kidnapping. She had a long night ahead of her, but at least she could sleep soundly knowing the kids and Zelda were all fine.

Vlad pulled her to the side before she could start, concern creasing his brow. "Are you sure you wish to do this now. I know what you saw in the warehouse affected you more than you're letting on. It isn't weakness to need to pause before jumping into a rapist's head."

She smiled at his caring, pulling him down for a kiss as she reassured him. "I'll be fine, I have you after I come out of it after all. But I won't be able to rest until I find out who put this together, not to mention I don't want them to get away while I'm taking a break. If it starts to feel like it's too much I'll tell you, but I want to do this."

Vlad gave a hard smile, he knew his wife was going to say that. She could never stop in the middle of something despite it being the better option for her health. Not that he could fault her, he was the same way.

"Alright, but I'll be holding you to that and after this you are resting for at least a few days." Leila nodded, having planned on that already. Vlad knew how much her ability took a toll on her and she appreciated his concern about her mental health. Once they knew who had started all of this, she'd be more than happy to hand the rest over to him while she napped for a bit. She still had to think over her startling realization in the warehouse after all…

It was hours later when she finally left the dungeon, Maximus staying behind with Vlad to finish up, to his internal disquiet. Leila would make sure to check on Zelda, she knew how crushing it must have been to come so close to joining with Maximus only to have it ripped away at the last minute.

But before she could do that, she had to check on how the kids were doing. After her brief stint in the different psycho's heads, being around children was a welcome distraction.

She heard raised voices as she reached the door, the familiar high pitched crying making her break into a sprint before her next thought. When she entered, the staff froze. The little girl who had previously clung to her was now hiding in the corner with tears running down her cheeks while the other children were on the other end of the room in a huddle, staring at the staff warily.

Before Leila could open her mouth to begin to figure out what was going on, the girl caught sight of her. Relief bloomed as she bolted around the nearest staff that had stopped trying to grab her to bow to Leila.

When Leila saw them go to snatch her, she made a sharp motion with her hand, stopping them in their tracks as the girl barreled into her. The little cheeks nestled into her throat as the smaller form sobbed against her neck.

Leila felt her temper spark dangerously, what in the hell had happened in the time she'd been in the dungeon? These kids acted as if the staff had beaten them or something equally horrific, each child shrinking back from them any time they made a move. Leila would like to believe none of Vlad's staff would do such a thing, but as she glanced down at the terrified girl she wasn't completely sure what to believe.

Exhaustion bit at her bones, but she pushed it to the side. She had kids to soothe and a story to pry out. Sleep wasn't in the cards yet. "What is going on here?" Her tone was icy and sharp, her displeasure obvious as she swept her eyes over every single member of the staff who all stiffened at her tone.

That was eerily similar to Vlad's 'someone is about to be impaled' tone and as of yet none of them had heard it from Leila. When no one went to speak up, Leila felt her irritation boiling.

"Someone better tell me what the hell is going on here or I'm going to come to my own conclusions and _none_ of you are going to like what I'm going to get from them."

_That_ brought all of them out of their stupor as they began trying to talk over one another. The sudden blast of noise made her head ache and her ears ring, but it was the girl's cringe that snapped her patience.

"Stop, one at a time and for the love of all that's holy in this world lower your damn voices." She spoke through gritted teeth, her head pounding while she absentmindedly rocked the scared child still crying into her chest.

One of the staff stepped forward, the elderly lady was one Leila hadn't had the chance to know yet but by the rigid way she held herself, Leila already knew that whatever was about to come from her mouth was nothing she would like. She was proven right not two minutes later when the woman spoke.

"The child was refusing to be washed, when we tried to calm her down she bit one of the staff members and evaded us when we attempted to stop her. You walked in just as this took place."

Something didn't seem right about this, if that was the case why were the children so scared? Leila stared hard into the woman's eyes, which revealed nothing, before slowing perusing the other staff members. Just as she was about to ask again, she caught a flash of guilt and uncertainty in one of the human member's faces.

Gesturing for the human to come forward, Leila asked. "That isn't _all_ that happened, is it? Rest assured, you won't be punished for telling me this and I'll personally be sure that no retaliation will come to you." Leila gave a pointed glance around the room while her hand began to spark, the warning was received loud and clear as the rigid woman visibly stiffened.

The human glanced around momentarily, before shaking her head. She shifted awkwardly on her feet, not liking being the center of attention, as she answered. "No ma'am. After the child bit Melinda, she struck her. After that the girl has been dodging all of us, no matter what we say to calm her. The other children haven't left the corner since."

Leila closed her eyes as equal parts rage and exhaustion swept through her. Weren't these people old enough to know you _don't _hit a recently freed sexual abuse victim? She knew that and she was only in her mid twenties…

Forcing a slow breath through her lungs, she glanced down to the girl who was watching with teary eyes. "Is that true?"

The girl briefly glanced at Melinda, the elderly vampire now watching Leila warily, before flinching back into Leila's throat, the action more than answer enough. Leila turned her attention back to Melinda while channeling her husband's terrifying aura.

"What possessed you to think hitting a child who has _just_ been freed from captivity was a good idea? So she bit you, she bit me too and I didn't even contemplate striking her. She's _scared_ as she has a right to be and I told her before I left that she was safe. How safe do you think she feels right now? Because I'm betting on not a lot."

Melinda scowled, but didn't say anything. Smart move. Leila was in just the right type of mood to put her ass on a pole if she's said the wrong thing. The girl sniffled against her throat, dragging Leila back to the present. Right, she had a child to soothe, Melinda could be dealt with later after Leila had a chance to discuss this with Vlad. She knew he definitely wasn't going to be happy with his staff after this display, she certainly wasn't…

"Melinda, you're relieved of duty until the voivode tells you otherwise. _I _will be talking to Vlad about this and I sincerely doubt that he'll be pleased. You're a _vampire_, you could have easily subdued the girl without resorting to violence and you know that."

She didn't let her glower waver on the woman, even when a twitch of displeasure showed across her face. Yeah she thought she was unhappy now, wait until Vlad got ahold of her…

Melinda held her head up high as she left the room, the tension popping liking a balloon as the younger children began crying and the elders relaxed.

Leila looked to the ceiling and prayed for patience. She could feel every ounce of her exhaustion eating at her, but she couldn't afford to snap right now. That was the last thing these kids needed.

Taking another breath, she gestured to one of the older girls. "Have all the children been given blood and cleaned?"

The teen visibly stiffened in surprise at being addressed, her surprise at not being labeled a child herself obvious, as she choked out in broken English. "Most, not all." She gestured to the girl in Leila's arms, before pointing out the boy who had hugged both Maximus and Vlad.

The boy stiffened at being called out, but didn't run, to his credit. He puffed his chest out before putting on a brave face that made Leila soften instantly. Poor kid had been through hell and it hadn't stopped yet.

Leila sighed, how to go about doing this… Glancing down at the girl, she questioned. "I know you don't want to be touched, but would you let me help you get clean? You don't want that nasty stuff on you any longer than necessary."

To her surprise, the girl nodded while curling closer into her throat. Well, that was easy… Turning to the boy, Leila knelt and repeated the question.

He hesitated slightly, glancing around at the staff nervously before giving a jerky nod. Hopefully she'd manage to balance both in the tub, because it had been a _long_ time since she'd done this but there wasn't any other option. She obviously couldn't trust the staff to _think_ so, for now, she'd leave one of the trusted guards with them to play interference while she got the last two clean and fed.

Gesturing for him to follow, she turned to the door and called for a guard, she had the perfect one in mind too. "Samir?"

The man blurred into sight not a moment later, concern twisting his brow as he took in the children backed into the corner, the one crying against her throat, and the boy trailing after her. "Yes?"

"Can you watch over the kids? There's been a bit of an incident with people losing their tempers with them and I _don't_ want a repeat."

Leila felt satisfaction as Samir's expression settled into steely determination as he nodded before glancing out over the staff with a critical eye, she knew he would be a good fit for this.

With one thing settled, she turned back around to address the staff. "I'll handle these two, for the love of God don't strike out at children who are _terrified_ with good reason. If you are unable to handle this, that's fine but leave _now_."

Leila eyed every single one of them, staring down one of the louder women who had tried to defend Melinda at the start until she also left. When no one else departed, she nodded with satisfaction.

"Will you guys be alright if I leave this man with you? He's a dear friend of mine and the voivode, as well as being one of our guards." The question was addressed to the children, who were again surprised to be having their opinion taken into consideration.

After some hushed translations, they all nodded after eying Samir. Relief swept through Leila as she smiled, she hadn't planned on bath time but oh well. These kids needed to feel safe and if the only way they would was if she personally helped them, then that's what she'd do.

Waving goodbye to the kids and thanking Samir since this _really _wasn't in his job description, she set off with the boy trailing behind her.


	27. Chapter 27

Leila breezed through the halls, the child in her arms slowly calming down while the boy contentedly trailed behind her. She should really get their names…

Taking a moment to look down, she questioned both kids. "You know, after all of this I think it's time we introduce ourselves. My name is Leila Dracul, what are your names?"

The girl peaked out of her throat long enough to answer between her hiccups, "Mirajane…"

Glancing back to the boy, Leila heard him mumble. "Damien."

Well at least she knew what to call them now, progress. "Those are very nice names, I think Vlad will like them too when he hears them. You Romanians have such interesting names, it makes me a bit jealous."

Mira pulled her head out again, this time the tears had slowed until only sniffles remained. "Your name is pretty too."

"Well thank you for saying so, that does make me feel better. Now then, I need to get you two clean. Do you mind if I enlist my sister's help? I could use the extra pair of hands." Mira seemed uncertain, while Damien just shrugged.

Biting her lip, Leila considered her options. She really could use the help, but if it made Mira uncomfortable then it would be a bad idea. "How about this, you guys can meet her and decide then if you're comfortable with it?"

This time Mira nodded with more confidence and Damien relaxed from his previous tense stance. After receiving both of their agreement, Leila went in search of her sister. Was she still in Maximus's room? Hopefully he hadn't finished in the dungeon already, because she doubted Zelda would be happy with her if she interrupted them again…

Shaking the thoughts to the side, she focused on the closed door of Zelda's room as she approached. She didn't hear anything and considering how close she was, that was a decent guarantee that nothing was going on. Breathing a sigh of relief, she came to a stop outside of the room and knocked.

I jolted at the sudden knock, not having been expecting it in the slightest. It wouldn't be Maximus since he wouldn't knock and as possibilities ran through my mind I began to worry. Had something gone wrong and he was hurt?

Wheeling to the door, I jerked it open, happy that I'd thought to pull on some clothes when Leila sat on the other side with two children in tow, to me confusion.

"Um, hi?" Not my best start, but considering the odd situation in front me, I'd say it could have been worse.

Leila shot me a tentative smile, "Yeah, I hate to bother you since you're probably already not happy with interruptions today, but I may need your help with something."

Considering the children around her and the dirt that clung to them, I could guess what it was she needed help with. Rolling out of my room, I shut the door and turned my full attention to them.

"I'll do my best and I'm not mad at you. I understand necessity making interruptions, besides," I paused to smile down at the boy who had eerily similar eyes to mine, "I'm just glad you both are alright."

He blinked in surprise before he gave a hesitant wave which I happily returned. I couldn't tell what color hair either of the kids had, the dirt completely covering them making it impossible and tugging on my heart. How long had they been under those monsters, to be this filthy? Deciding I didn't want to know the answer to that, I focused on the two sets of eyes tracking my every movement.

"Hello you two, my name is Zelda. What are your names?" No better place to start than an introduction.

The little girl clinging to Leila whispered her name too quiet for me to hear, but Leila easily inputted it for me. "Sorry about that, she's still a little spooked from an encounter with a mean lady. Her name is Mirajane and the boy is Damien."

The boy, now dubbed Damien, pouted sullenly. "I wanted to introduce myself…"

Biting back a chuckle, I waved to get his attention. "You still can, I can pretend really well that Leila didn't tell me."

He pouted for another minute before moving to stand in front of my wheels. To my surprise, he stuck his hand out for a handshake, "Hello, my name is Damien and it's a pleasure to meet you."

The manners made me smile, mildly surprised when touching him didn't make my skin crawl like it did with others. Then again, he was a kid. It made sense for me to not mind their touch.

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I beamed back at him. "That was very polite, I'm impressed that someone as young as you knows how to sound so grown up." Kids liked it when you told them they were grown up right?

As if to prove that point, he puffed up his chest in such an adorable way I had to fight my urge to coo. Oh that was adorable, but I doubted he would want to hear that.

"I practiced really hard on it, Mama said…" His previous pride disappeared as he trailed off. Tears pooled in hazel eyes, the sight sending a spike of pure pain through my chest in empathy. Had his mother died?

Before I could change the subject, he continued and what I learned made me see red with rage. "She said people would only want to adopt me if I was good."

What kind of mother trained their child to be put up for adoption!? Although considering my own mother, maybe I shouldn't be judging…

I went to comfort him, the pain on his face feeling like a knife in my chest, but before I had a chance to get a word in, he pressed on.

"I've been good! I learned how to be polite, and not make noise, and help around the house, and-." I couldn't help it. As he began to work himself into a frenzy, I rolled forward and wrapped him into a hug.

I knew I should ask before doing this, but seeing him so close to tears ripped through my heart. If he struggled I'd let him go, but he looked so _lonely…_

Instead of fighting against me, he slumped after a moment of surprise. His little arms came up to curl around my shoulders as his head rested against my throat. Poor thing, he'd been through hell even before he was taken to the ring. I could only imagine what he'd been through there…

Neither of us moved for a minute, I was happy to offer the comfort he so obviously needed as long as he wanted it. After a bit, he tugged away while scrubbing at his eyes where the tears had gathered.

"There's no shame in crying, I've cried plenty of times when I was stressed or scared." I glanced up to Leila for back up which she quickly provided.

"Me too, nothing wrong with crying it out. It's better than bottling it up at least."

Damien hesitantly nodded, before tugging on my arm. His eyes shifted from one place to another nervously before settling on me again. "Can you help us wash?"

Ah, so it _was_ baths she needed help with. I looked up to the little girl, not sure how she felt about it.

Mira hesitated before looking to Leila, "Can you help me and she helps him?" Leila shot me an apologetic glance which I easily brushed off with a smile of understanding.

"I don't mind handling Damien if you have Mira." The little girl sighed in relief when Leila agreed, causing another wince to come from my sister.

I didn't take offense to her preference for Leila, if I was right then Leila had saved her so it made perfect sense she would attach herself to her. Besides, it looks like I'd have my hands full with Damien…

The little boy had gotten as close to my chair as he dared, nearly leaning over me in his attempt to stay close without touching. A smile twitched across my lips at his not at all subtle attempts to brush against me without being obvious that he wanted more contact.

Holding my hand out, I offered. "If you want, you can sit on my lap while we get everything ready for the bath? Mira looks pretty cosy and unfortunately I can't stand to hold you, but if you'd like…" I let it trail off, not sure if I'd misread him or not until he practically lunged into my lap.

His head thumped against my shoulder where he nuzzled in happily. "Please?" I bit back a chuckle before nodding.

I never would have expected someone to have gone through what he had to be so cuddly, but then again kids were amazingly resilient. If all he wanted was to be held, then I was more than happy to do so. I gestured for Leila to lead on once I had Damien situated in my lap, the boy seemingly content to doze against my shoulder.

The bathroom she led us to was thankfully large enough for my chair to fit in without problems, a common worry with me. Once the water was started and the temperature met both of the kid's approvals, Leila left to get some clothes that would fit them while I turned around to give them privacy to change.

"Just let me know when I can turn around, alright you two?" Two affirmatives were my answer as I stayed faced away from them. The minutes ticked by as I slowly began to worry. "Is everything alright back there?"

It was another moment before Mira's voice hesitantly piped up. "I can't get the shirt over my head…"

She sounded close to tears, the small hitches in her breath pulling on my heart. "Do you want me to help, or go get Leila?"

Another minute passed before I heard, "Can you help? Damien tried but it's stuck in my hair."

I easily turned and wheeled my way to her, I kept my movements slow and announced everything I did before I touched her. She'd managed to get the button on the old and torn shirt caught in her hair, not surprising given the state of it.

There were more tangles and snares than free hair and I knew that if she didn't want to cut it, it would take hours to comb through. Focusing on the current problem, I carefully worked the button free with the least amount of touch possible. Once finished, I backed away and gave her space again, to her obvious relief.

"Thanks, it really hurt." I smiled, at her manners.

"It's nothing to thank me for, I'm just glad you're feeling better." Turning to Damien, who'd stayed silent throughout the exchange, I offered. "Would you like help getting yours off as well?"

He only thought about it for a moment before nodding, plopping himself in my lap for easy access while I began to carefully tug the shirt over his head. By the time I had disentangled him from the destroyed fabric that was stained with things I didn't want to contemplate, Leila had reentered with a bundle of clothes and a bath toy.

"Unfortunately, the trunk of my mother's old things only had one toy. Do you think you two can share it?"

Both kids nodded, excitement lighting their gazes as they began discussing what they were going to play with the new toy. The sight warmed my heart as I pulled up to the side of the tub. It was good to see that some innocence had survived their encounter, hopefully we'd manage to preserve some more of it as well.

The worn rubber ducky floated in the water not long after we got them settled, both of them coming up with adventure after adventure to go on as Leila and I carefully scrubbed the grime out of their hair.

By the time we were almost finished the water had turned a nasty grey that made me want to cringe in sympathy. Now we could at least tell what hair color they had…

Mira's black hair hadn't been much of a surprise, but finding golden blond under all the grime of Damien's hair had been. He seemed surprised to see the color, to my chagrin. Could he truly not know what his own hair color was under all that filth?

Before I could get lost into thoughts that led nowhere good, Vlad walked into the bathroom while stripping his shirt, only to freeze at the sight of the two children and me. Mira flinched back, her previous happiness gone as she tried to disappear into the water. Damien shifted in front of her, not seeming to mind Vlad's presence but wanting to soothe his new friend's distress.

I looked away while flushing at the glimpse I'd caught, this was definitely _not_ how I thought today was going to go…

Leila rushed to explain while Vlad slipped his shirt back on and took a step back in hopes of calming Mira.

I gently coaxed her out of the filthy water, putting my back to Vlad to give her an extra cover while Leila finished explaining why he had two children in his master bathroom.

By the time she finished telling him of what happened, his eyes were streetlight green with rage. "Melinda, you say? I'll look into that once I leave here."

I'd come to associate that particular glower with his, _someone is going to get impaled_, look and for once I didn't mind the thought. Really, what had that woman been thinking? Striking a child who'd just been rescued from a horrible situation. I'd thought Vlad's staff had more tact than that.

His mouth curled in distaste and I remembered that he could hear me a minute too late. I sent him a mental apology, but he shrugged it off. "My staff generally do have more tact than that, but this was unacceptable. Rest assured it won't be happening again."

I nodded before focusing back on Mira, "You don't have to fear him, I know he looks scary but he isn't dangerous to you." I made sure to add that last part after a moment of thought. He was _very _dangerous but I doubted that little girl could do anything to earn Vlad's ire. So the threat level he posed to her was minimal.

Vlad nodded from his place leaned against the wall, "She's right. You have nothing to fear of me, but if you'd prefer. I can leave the room until you're finished dressing. I have no desire to make you uncomfortable. Had I known you ladies were in here, I would have waited outside."

Mira stared in open amazement, the look ripping through my heart. It was a horrible thing, when a child was so mystified by someone respecting their wishes and boundaries that they were speechless.

Instead of asking Vlad to leave, like I expected, she mumbled. "Can you turn around? I don't mind if you're here but…"

She trailed off, not sure where to go from there, but Vlad easily agreed. He turned so he leaned against the open doorway with his back toward us.

Again a look of mystified surprise passed her face before she thanked him. Vlad brushed it to the side, before addressing Leila. "If you're almost finished, the kitchen should have some food and I believe Maximus will be looking for Zelda soon."

I nearly cursed as I remembered my poor partner. I can't believe I'd gotten so caught up in Damien that I'd _forgotten_ about Maximus. I hope he wasn't too worried about my disappearance…

Vlad piped up, again in response to my thoughts. "I already alerted him to your location, he is anxiously awaiting you in the kitchen when you're ready."

I nodded, memories of where we'd left off making my face flush, which Damien noticed immediately.

His little hand pressed to my forehead with concern as he asked, "Are you okay? You look really red… Does she have a fever? Is she _sick?!_" His voice rose in panic as he moved to scramble out of the tub.

I barely managed to wrap the towel around him before he was in my face, pressing both palms to my cheeks in obvious worry. While I appreciate the concern, I was beyond mortified and Vlad's low chuckle announced that he knew exactly why that was.

_Quit laughing and help me_.

He smiled but did so, "There is nothing to worry about, young man. She must be too warm from the steam of the bath. Once you are finished she will be fine."

Damien accepted that, cuddling into the soft towel as Leila dried off a now clean Mira. The kids looked like completely different people now, free of the grime that had coated them both. In perfect sync, their stomachs rumbled, announcing another need that had to be taken care of.

Well, I'd already been planning on headed to the kitchen, so why not bring along the kids? Although once Maximus found me, I doubted that we would be staying far from the bedroom for awhile…

Shaking off the thought, I turned so Damien and Mira could dress in peace while I chatted with Vlad. "Does Maximus have any other duties for the night?" I didn't even bother trying to hide my reason for asking and his lips quirked in amusement.

"No, that is why he hasn't made it to your side yet. He is finishing everything now so there will be no more interruptions." He put emphasis on the word 'interruptions' but I refused to rise to the bait.

"I'll be stealing him for the rest of the day, if at all possible please don't need him for anything." Vlad's grin widened, his amusement clear even as he nodded in agreement.

"Unless someone is dying I won't be bothering either of you again. Even his loyalty to me only goes so far and had our positions been switched I would make no promises for how I would have reacted to the interruption."

His teasing was light hearted and it made me smile, he was reminding me more and more of an elder brother as the days passed and I couldn't bring myself to mind the comparison.

His sharp smile softened into something more genuine, "Considering I married your sister, you _are_ technically my sister in law. Don't fret, you're already leaps and bounds better than my own blood siblings. After all, you haven't tried to kill me yet."

I didn't think he was kidding and wasn't that an awful thought? If the bar for decent sibling was that low then I'd pass with flying colors… Turning away from the thought, I smiled. "I sincerely doubt that will ever change, but if you were to interrupt Maximus and I again at the wrong moment…" I let it trail off with obvious humor in my tone.

He knew I'd never try to hurt him, even if I could, but my returning tease made him grin. "Indeed, well as I said I have no plans to do so. And speaking of your Knight, you may wish to find him soon. It sounds like he is pacing a hole in the kitchen floor as we speak."

Considering where we left off, it made perfect sense that he'd be restless. Quickly, I finished drying Damien before moving to leave, only for his small hand to stop me.

"Can I come too?" Big, hazel eyes locked onto me with a pleading gaze and I internally groaned. While usually I wouldn't mind him tagging along, I was going to be going back to my room with Maximus soon…

Leila came to the rescue, as always. "I think Zelda is tired Damien, how about we all go to the kitchen and we can bake some cookies. Maximus can take you to get a nap, Zelda."

She threw in a wink when the kids weren't looking, making me have to fight off a flush again. "That would be nice."

Damien pouted, but agreed with the promise that he'd see me again soon. He was a cutey, I'd have to be sure to introduce Maximus to him when we got to the kitchen.


	28. Chapter 28

My nerves scrambled as Leila, Vlad, the kids and I made our way to the kitchen. Damien had happily claimed my lap, seemingly content to cuddle against my torso and enjoy the ride. My mind wasn't focusing on the adorable sight though, no it was focused on what lay ahead of me.

There was no doubt where Maximus and I would be going the second we freed ourselves from the kids and the thought made excitement and nerves leap to the surface.

Today was the day, after all the start and stops, my panic attacks, and countless nights of exploring we were finally going to go the full way. What would it be like? Slow and sweet, like Maximus had made everything so far? Or maybe fast and passionate? Either sounded nice to me and I knew I would be finding out soon.

As we approached the kitchen, I took a deep breath to settle my nerves again before wheeling through the entry way. Maximus stood, tense as a bow string, by the counter. His head was already angled to the door before we entered, his hearing picking up on our entrance from a ways off. His eyes met mine nearly instantly and locked on. The stormy grey seemed to swirl with desire as he scanned down my body, only to stop at Damien resting in my lap.

His desire cooled into something warmer, something I couldn't identify, as he crouched to talk to him. "Hello again, I see you've met my lover."

The title made me flush but I didn't dispute it as Damien swung around to stare in open mouthed wonder. "You two are together?! Like, together, together?"

His surprise was funny, but I just nodded, curious where he was going with this.

Damien swung back around to Maximus with a huge grin, "You're both nice so you two fit perfectly."

When had he met Maximus? Before I could ask, the man himself answered. "I ripped apart one of his captors in front of him and instead of being terrified, he's grateful."

Ah, that made sense. While I was a bit worried about him seeing such things at such a young age, I had to remind myself he'd lived through things no child should have to. If it made him feel more secure to see Maximus kill his captor then more power to him.

"You should have seen him! The man was mean, he always laughed when he hurt one of us, but _he_ got rid of him!"

I could see the hero worship already forming in Damien's eyes as he described Maximus dispatch of his rapist. I let a smile curl my mouth as I met Maximus's sheepish gaze.

"Yeah, he is something else, isn't he?" My words made Maximus's smile widen a smidge before he visibly remembered our previous plans.

His eyes lost their calm demeanor, shifting into the primal lust that spelled out wonderful things for me. "Damien, I believe it's time for me to take Zelda to bed. She's had a long day and needs her sleep."

I would definitely need sleep in a few hours, his look promised that…

Damien pouted, piping up with hopeful eyes to both of us. "Can I come too? I promise to be quiet and let you sleep! Nap time with others is fun."

If it were any other day and time, I would allow it. However, Maximus and I had already put it off too many times and the ache burning in my stomach was demanding that it wouldn't be put off any longer.

"Not tonight Damien, but how about sometime in the next week? I'm not going anywhere and I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities. You need lots of naps at your age and I find myself taking them pretty often as well."

His pout didn't let up but the mention of possible future naps made him smile. "Promise?"

This boy was too cute for his own good. "Yup." Feeling impish, I leaned in and pretended to whisper, "And if we're lucky we might even get Maximus to take a nap with us."

His eyes widened to dinner plates before swinging around to face Maximus, I almost felt bad about putting him on the spot with such hopeful eyes, but I lost that guilt when Maximus nodded easily.

"I don't see why not, as long as I have no duties to attend to." Damien bounded out of my lap, doing a little happy dance as he trotted over to Leila and Mira.

I laughed along with Leila as he completed his dance, even pulling Mira in, to her delight. Maximus's hands dropped to my shoulders, effectively pulling me from my musings.

Looking up, his eyes burned with sensual promise as he bent to whisper in my ear. "Shall we depart?"

I swallowed down the butterflies and nodded, giving a weak wave to Vlad and Leila who were wearing twin looks of knowing amusement. I don't care, let them tease me. I was about to have one of the best nights of my life and nothing was going to ruin that.

Maximus's hands settled on my chair, directing me out and toward my room with practiced ease. As the door came into sight, my nerves squirmed in my stomach. The hours since we'd been interrupted had felt longer than any other time in my life, but finally we were here and nothing was going to interrupt us.


	29. Chapter 29

Once inside the room, I watched as Maximus flipped the lock on the door. Usually that wouldn't be necessary, but with children running around and one mischievous little boy who wanted cuddles, it was a good idea to be cautious. That was not a conversation I felt like having today, especially considering our earlier interruption.

Maximus pulled me from my thoughts as he turned around to lean against the door. His eyes swept down my frame, making me resist the urge to hunch forward and hide. He must have sensed my urge, because his eyes narrowed slightly before he pushed off the door.

He was in front of me in the next second, his hands sliding across my sides, lifting my shirt as they traveled up my chest. "Every part of you is beautiful, I'll make it my life long goal to make you believe that if that's what it takes."

I didn't bother telling him that I didn't see that happening, there were more important things to focus on than my withering self confidence. I tangled my hands in his shirt and pulled until he was level with my chair, the new angle allowing me to drag him into a kiss.

Every stroke of his tongue added fuel to the fire that burned between us as his fingers played across my front, stopping momentarily at my bra as he waited for my verdict. I didn't have to think for long, stopping our kiss to nod before he carefully tugged both garments over my head.

I'd never been fully bare before him, but as his eyes trailed down my chest and began to spark emerald fire, for the first time in a long time I was happy with myself. All my previous nerves seemed to melt away as I pulled him into another kiss. My fingers making trails across his abs while sliding up, pulling his shirt along with the motion.

We only separated to remove his shirt, the bare expanse of his chest momentarily distracting me, before he slid his arms under my legs and lifted me out of my chair.

I rested my head against his throat, happy to leave open mouthed kisses against the skin while he settled us both on the bed. His rumble of appreciation made me smile, I'd never get over how sensitive his neck was. It was so much fun to hear the different noises he made while I nibbled on it.

His hands dropped to my jeans, pulling me back to the present as he eyed me with hunger turning grey eyes green. I lifted my hips wordlessly, my hands moving to unbutton his pants as he slid mine off completely before depositing them on the floor.

He paused to kick them off before joining me on the bed, his body lying horizontal to mine as his fingers traced across the newly bared skin. His eyes never wavered in their appreciation, the desire in them a confidence boost like no other as I fought the urge to rock against him to speed things up.

We had time for fast and passionate later, by the slow grind of Maximus's leg between my thighs it was a safe bet tonight would be slow. I was more than okay with that.

The slow, mounting pressure had my panties soaked in minutes, the knowing smirk that curled his lips easily announcing that he was aware of how he was affecting me and he enjoyed it. Well, he wasn't the only one who could play that game.

Reaching out, I encased his length in my hand, squeezing lightly when it pulsed against my palm. Tracing my thumb against the vein on the bottom, I grinned when he let out a low moan. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, halting my slow strokes to my disappointment, "If you do that, this is going to be over before we've even started."

Huffing, I nipped his lip when he dropped down to start another kiss. "Then stop teasing me, it's not fair if I'm not allowed to do it back."

A slow smile curled his lips, the look screamed _danger_ in a way that promised hours of ecstasy and a thrill sped down my spine in response. "I wasn't teasing you, I was _preparing_ you." He paused to move over me, his body stopping to hover over mine before he breathed into my ear. "I'm decently sized and I refuse to hurt you out of sheer carelessness. We won't be joining until I'm satisfied that you're been _thoroughly_ stretched."

The air pushed out of me as his words stroked over my body like a physical caress. I don't know what all that entailed but if the promise in his eyes was any indication, I was going to enjoy it.

Before my next blink, he'd pulled my underwear off and dropped to lay between my thighs. His fingers massaged at the muscles around my center as his lips traced the edges of my opening. The stubble covering his jaw scraped sensually against my most sensitive area, making me moan and rock into him for more.

He chuckled, the vibrations driving me insane with need as he finally moved forward to slide his tongue along the opening. A shudder rolled through me as he prodded along, poking around for that specific spot he found every time without fail.

I knew the instant he found it, my back arching off the bed as a gasp stole the air from my lungs. He only paused a moment to grin in triumph before he descended on that spot without mercy. His teeth scraped around it before pulling it into his mouth, the light suction mixed with drops of his venom making my next moan break on a scream.

I didn't have time to warn him before I felt the familiar wave of climax hit me, his mouth not pausing despite the flush of liquid that had coated his lower jaw. I barely had time to recover from the first orgasm before he was building me toward the next one. My voice rose sharply when he rolled the nub between his teeth, stopping just before I crested my second peak.

My noise of complaint was cut off, his mouth sealing to my own to silence any noise I could have made. When he pulled away, his eyes had no grey left in them. "Now you're plenty wet enough, but you still need to be stretched."

It was my only warning before his fingers slid inside me, the first two easily finding their way. The third wriggled in next, slowly twisting around and scissoring to help me adjust to what was coming. It was only a minute before I bucked against his hand, wanting more and not caring if it stung.

Maximus didn't ask if I was sure, instead silently doing as I wanted and nudging in the fourth finger. This was as far as we'd come before tonight and as his hand began a sliding thrust, it was all I could do not to sob from pleasure. He would take it the wrong way and stop, the last thing I wanted him to do…

The motion mimicked what would be coming soon and as he made no motion to move on, I trapped his hand between my thighs and ground down on it. A hiss left him, the moment of surprise allowing me to drag his chest down to mine. "Just take me, if I need time to adjust then we can go slow, but I can't stand you not being inside of me for one more minute."

My words had the intended effect as his hand carefully left me, quickly being replaced by his length at my entrance. I leaned back, sighing in relief as the head nudged at my opening only to pause.

Maximus shifted my hair from my eyes, tucking it tenderly behind my ear as he trailed his fingers down to wrap around his girth. His hand cupped my jaw, holding eye contact as he gave a light rock. The motion made me bite my lip as he slid in the first inch, anticipation making me tense as my body prepared to welcome him.

He paused, stroking my cheek as his voice washed over me like velvet. "Relax, if you tighten up it will hurt." At this point, I didn't care if it did as long as he _moved_.

His hand left his length to go back to massaging at the muscles around my groin, the slow pressure guiding my body back to its previous relaxed state until I was putty in his hands. Once I was relaxed to his qualification, he picked up his rocking again.

Each thrust inward rubbed against my clit, not enough pressure to bring me close but enough to make a shudder roll through me on each inward slide. He was holding back, waiting for my go ahead, and with a deep breath, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and gave it. "Maximus, _please_ move."

I felt his careful control snap as he shivered against me. His hand lifted my hips to give him a better angle before he slid another inch deeper, the snug fit making me bite back a cry. It wasn't painful, not even close, but I had never been this _full_ before and if he'd been even a smidge bigger then it _would_ have hurt. He was perfectly sized for me, as if we'd been made for one another and the thought pulled another moan from my lungs as his girth scraped against my walls on every retreat.

I opened my eyes, locking onto his as he slowly molded me around him. As I watched his eyes shut tight and his teeth grind, holding back his urge to just start thrusting, I'd never felt more powerful. This was what it felt like to be desired and I loved it. In this second, with my millennium old templar knight fighting to shackle his burning lust, I felt like what I was. A woman who was sharing the most intimate action possible with the man she loved.

The thought made me pause, was now the right time to tell him? He hadn't shied away from affection or commitment to this point…

My thoughts were scattered when I glanced down to where we were connected and sucked in a breath of amazement. When I'd first seen him in all his naked glory, I'd wondered how he was going to fit. I'd still wondered, but now I could watch for myself as he disappeared into me. Every inch slid him closer to being completely hilted and watching the slow slide of our bodies together made my passion spike to a fever pitch.

I could feel him throb inside me, each pulse warning of what was to come as he paused to collect himself. Not wanting to wait any longer, I clutched his sides and pulled him forward, my thighs tightening and dragging him the final inches. His base rubbed against me, the entirety of his length stretching my walls as I threw my head back and cried out at the feeling.

This was what I wanted, the connection, feeling every inch of him filling me in ways no one had before. As he swelled further inside of me, I felt my heart expand until it was suffocating. If this wasn't the right time, then there wasn't going to be one and I was _done_ waiting.

My mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, my first attempt at speech coming out as a moan. It took several more tries before I managed to squeeze out. "I love you." It was barely a whisper, but I knew Maximus heard it when he stiffened over me.

He paused for just a moment, my nerves pitching high as doubts clawed at my heart. Maybe it was too early to say anything? But before I could work myself into a panic, Maximus's hands cradled my face as he pulled me into a kiss so tender I felt tears gather in my eyes.

When he pulled back, his eyes shone with a pink hue that stunned me. I almost missed his choked words through my surprise. "Say that again."

His words vibrated with intensity, as if he were a man dying of thirst and had just been given a tablespoon of water. I swallowed against my dry throat and repeated myself, feeling that this was important, despite not knowing why.

I curled my fingers into his hair, twining the golden strands each digit and rolling our hips together as I declared, "I love you, Maximus."

It was my voice that brimmed with emotion this time, practically screaming the proof of my words as I waited for his reaction. He didn't disappoint.

His hips picked up speed, coming into an easy rhythm as he hilted himself on every thrust. His voice was gravely as he growled, "I love you too." Joy burned alongside my arousal as his hips increased in speed until they were a blur to my eyes, his length mercilessly nailing the spot that had me seeing stars on every thrust.

Feeling my peak nearly upon me, I wrapped my arms around him and met his rocking to the best of my ability, wishing more than anything in the moment that I could wrap my legs around him.

That thought disappeared under the tidal wave of pleasure when his hand reached down to pinch my clit between his fingers at the same time as a particularly deep thrust slid me a few inches up the bed. Throwing my head back, I felt my back arch and a scream rip from my throat. The sound spurring him on, his hips barely pulling out now before driving back in.

As the aftershocks rolled through me, I fought for breath and basked in the afterglow. Everything I was, felt like it was pouring into him, making its new home in him and in a way, I guess, that was true.

He was my everything now, he held my heart, my soul and my body and he could do with them as he pleased. He was my home and nothing would take me from him.

I felt as a voracious need to have all of him lashed through me, making my arms pull him down far enough for my teeth to sink into his shoulder as my thighs tightened around his hips, holding him against my core. I wasn't sure where that instinct came from, but as he let out a surprised groan I knew he didn't mind.

He didn't try to pull out anymore, choosing instead to grind against me, his length nestled as deep as he could go before it exploded within me. His hips stuttered out of their rhythm as hot ropes of liquid filled me. I felt as each shot sent a jolt through his body, making him jerk against my thighs as he emptied himself into me.

My previous bite mark was already fading, but I kissed it in silent apology anyway. The action pulled another shudder from him as he gave miniature thrusts, chasing the leftovers of his climax as he came down from his high.

His muscles jerked, twitching and spasming as he fought to remain over me. Before tonight I'd always been uncomfortable being caged, even by his body, but now… I coaxed his weight to fall on top of me and watched with satisfaction when he went boneless at my silent request.

His head found my throat as his body settled between my thighs. Running my fingers through his hair, I felt a feminine pride swell in my chest. I'd caused this in him, the fierce and terrifying warrior who had survived the Crusades. And I would be doing it again many times in the future, that I could guarantee.

This position was likely to become a favorite, I could already tell. His weight felt comfortable, as if it were a reminder that nothing could hurt me with him there. I relaxed as his shuddering slowly came to a stop and his hips stopped twitching into mine.

My hands traced over his shoulders, muscles jumping slightly even at the lightest touch, before returning my fingers to his hair. I contemplated braiding it for a moment before discarding the thought. Now wasn't the time, but maybe he'd let me later. Besides, I'd have to move and I was enjoying this position too much to allow that.

Maximus came around slowly, his arms coming up to wrap me against his chest as his head buried itself into my throat. I felt as he inhaled deeply, the air tickling my neck, before he pulled back to meet my eyes.

A pink sheen covered grey eyes, alarming me for a moment before he leaned forward to capture my lips. The kiss brimmed with all the things he was having trouble putting into words, every emotion rubbed against me, taking my breath away with the intensity. When he pulled back again, he slowly began to explain as his nose nuzzled against my cheek.

"The last time someone told me they loved me and meant it was when I was just a boy. As you know, my mother died when I was young, resulting in me joining the Templar's from a young age. In the following centuries I had many friends and bed partners but no one ever loved me as you do."

His words rang with intensity, making my heart twist in sympathy. How lonely must it have been to live for so long without anyone who loved you? I shook myself out of the sobering thoughts and pulled him tighter against my chest, feeling a protective urge beginning to grow as I promised. "You won't ever have to go another day without hearing it, if that's what you want. I'm more than happy to remind you every morning and every night."

He kissed me again, slow and thorough as his emotions rose over their wall to curl against my own.

"I think I'll take you up on that." After a moment of soaking in our connection, he lifted his weight and slid out. The sudden emptiness making me grimace as he rolled to face me.

He must have caught my look and guessed the reason behind it. His face softened into an expression so tender it made my chest ache to see it as he wrapped his arm around my back and tugged me to his chest. "I know, but we'll have plenty of time to enjoy that connection over the course of our relationship. In the meantime, you don't want the mess to dry, trust me. While it's not uncomfortable now, it will be later."

I'd take his word for it. I gave a noise of disagreement when he moved to leave the bed though. He shot me a playful smile over his shoulder as he walked toward the bathroom. "I'll be right back, I didn't think to put a wet rag next to the bed. An oversight I'll correct next time."

The mention of next time had me smiling like an idiot at his back, oh there would definitely be a next time and if I had my way it would be _soon_. For now though, I'd be content watching his backside as it walked away. He looked _fine_ for a man who was nearly one thousand years old.

It was only a second before he came back, reclaiming his spot beside me as he carefully slid the rag across my skin. The care he took to get every speck made me smile against his chest, but before I could reach to take the rag from him and return the favor he tossed it to the side.

At my noise of disappointment, he chuckled before pulling me to rest on top of him. "Cleaning me up wouldn't do any good, I'm laying in the wet spot."

The statement made one of my brows rise, wet spot? Glancing over his side, I looked and sure enough he was indeed laying on a sizeable soaked circle of the sheets. Apparently sex was messy, I'd be sure to remember _that_ for future reference. Turning to him, I offered. "We can move to your room if you want? If it's not comfortable, I mean."

He smiled, the easy curl matching his languid movements as he fisted the blanket to tug it up over my back. "I don't care, I'm more comfortable now than I've ever been in my life, wet spot or no wet spot. Unless it bothers you, I'm not moving for anything."

I shook my head, happy to relax against him and soak in the newest shift in our relationship. We had made love, it felt surreal, but as I thought back to how _connected_ I'd felt to him, and not just physically, I knew no other term fit what we'd just done.

Giddy with happiness over it, I giggled while grinning up at him. His brow arched, but his own smile curled in answer despite not knowing what had caused my laughing. "What has you so giggly?"

I shrugged, trying to stifle the laughs as I answered. "We made love." It wasn't funny per say, but I just felt so _happy_ that it came out as laughter. Thankfully, Maximus seemed to understand.

After a moment of thought, he nodded. "We did, and hopefully we'll continue to do so many more times. There's still lots I can show you, and I know there's still more for me to learn about your preferences. I can't wait to find out _everything_."

A shiver ran up my spine, the sensual promise in his eyes making me grin. "Can't wait." I hoped this fluttery feeling continued through the rest of our relationship, but even if it didn't. The burning love I felt for him would never fade, and as long as we both lived, I would happily stay by his side. Let the sun burn out or the oceans rise, he was mine and I was his. Nothing would ever change that now.

I felt as sleep dragged me down, my exhaustion from before coming back now that our activity had thoroughly drained me of energy. I fought against it, wanting to bask in the feeling just a little longer.

Maximus chuckled, watching as I fought a losing battle. His mouth slid against my head, leaving a lingering kiss as he mumbled. "Go to sleep, I'll still be here when you wake."

I grumbled, but stopped trying to stay awake. Not that my efforts would have succeeded for much longer anyway. I felt as my consciousness began to slide away, but before I let myself completely succumb, I managed to get out. "I love you."

The last thing I felt before dropping off into sleep was his mouth trailing another kiss across my head in answer. If he answered verbally, I didn't hear it as sleep finally claimed me.


	30. Chapter 30

Maximus stared down at Zelda's dozing form, the gentle rise and fall of her chest holding his attention as her earlier words echoed back to him. I love you. He'd had lovers before who'd said those words in the heat of passion, but he'd known that they weren't true. They loved what he did to them, not him as a person.

When Zelda said them though, he'd known without a shadow of a doubt that she loved him, every part of him. It was intoxicating, the knowledge that this woman held his heart in her hands and had every intention of protecting it.

Even a year ago he would have written this off as impossible, a beautiful woman who loved him dozing contently on his chest as he reveled in their first time being intimate. And what a time it had been.

He'd slept with many women over the years, but all those instances paled in comparison to what he and Zelda had just shared. He'd heard married friends say that making love and having sex were two entirely different things, but he'd never believed them. Now, he knew without a doubt that there was a difference.

He'd never felt such an intense connection with anyone, not even those he'd sired. If he felt that every time they slept together then he would die happy, hopefully in a few millennium. Now that he had Zelda, the thought of spending anything less than the rest of his life with her was sacrilege.

Absentmindedly, his hands began to stroke down her back. She had a light coating of sweat that she'd have to shower to get rid of, but when he took a deep inhale the only scent he could make out was hers and his. He took a moment to be grateful her first time had gone so smoothly, sometimes even if you were gentle tears happened and pain was short to follow.

The entire time he'd been between her legs he'd been nervous of causing her some kind of pain, he'd been careful not to show it, lest he make her more nervous but now that the act was finished with no hiccups he could finally relax. The first time was always the diciest, and now that they'd successfully crested that hill, he had full confidence that the rest of their couplings would be just as grand.

Glancing out the window, he grimaced as dawn began to break. While it didn't instantly knock him unconscious anymore, it was still draining. As he felt the sun's pull drag him into sleep, he sent up a prayer of thanks for the woman dozing on his chest. He wasn't sure what he'd done in his life to deserve her, but he'd do his best to make her feel like the most cherished woman on the planet.

I woke up slowly, light from the early morning sun blinding me as I cuddled further into Maximus's side. A dull soreness between my legs brought back the memories of our previous night and everything that had happened. A slow smile curled across my lips as I remembered.

We'd had our first time and confessed to one another, two things that I thought would never happen to me just a year ago. Biting back the urge to squirm in happiness, not wanting to wake Maximus with my wiggling, I did a mental happy dance.

The new progress in our relationship brought questions. Would he want me to not say I loved him in front of people? He hadn't been bothered by random displays of affection, as long as they weren't inappropriate or at a bad time. And what about how often I could say it? I honestly believed I could tell him I loved him every day without any problem but had he been kidding before when he'd mentioned not minding the thought? Would it irritate him if I started sending him off with a kiss and an 'I love you' like a romance cliché?

My eyes wandered over his lips from where he laid next to me, his arm thrown over my hip as he wrapped himself around me like a barricade. The urge to wake him was strong, the thought of telling him again how much he meant to me tugging at me until I finally gave in. He'd said last night that he didn't mind hearing me say I loved him, so I'd say it whenever I wanted and if he had a problem with it, he'd tell me.

Nodding to myself, I inched forward, ignoring the slight pain in my lower hips as I rested in front of him. My lips trailed across his, pausing to see if he woke up, only to continue when he didn't. Sliding my tongue across his lower lip, I sucked it between my teeth until I heard him let out a low groan of approval.

Grey eyes opened to meet mine, the haze of sleep already fading into the green of desire. Before we could get too far into it, I brushed my mouth against his in a more innocent kiss. "I love you."

Any doubt I'd had about his reaction to the words faded as his eyes crinkled with joy before he returned my kiss, his nose rubbing against mine in an Eskimo kiss. "I love you too."

I wiggled happily against him; I'd never get tired of hearing that. Apparently, neither did he, because in the next second he'd dragged me tight against his chest to mouth at my throat. His tongue slid across the vein in my throat, the thrill of arousal it sent south almost making me forget my soreness. While the thought of another round was beyond appealing, I knew better than to do so while stile sore.

Raising a finger to his lips, I stopped him from biting down. "I don't mind if you drink, but can we wait for round two? I'm still a bit sore from last night." I knew he could pull blood from me without the arousing agent in his venom, although he'd told me it was tricky. If he wanted to feed from me I had no problem with it, but I didn't feel quite up to another round of love making right this instant.

His mouth immediately left my throat, pulling back enough for me to see the concern in his eyes as they bled back to grey. Calloused hands trailed between us, shifting the blanket off so he could see better only to scowl at the light bruises that had formed around my hips and lower.

Before he could work himself up, I cupped his jaw and pulled him into a kiss. "I know that look and don't beat yourself up over those. Last night was perfect, I wouldn't change anything about it. I just bruise easily, I always have. Please, don't think you hurt me because you didn't."

He seemed to struggle with it for a minute, his fingers stroking over the bruises with a touch light enough to not prod them. Eventually, he sighed. "I'll try, but I don't like that I did that. I could have sworn I kept my strength under control throughout it."

I ran my hand up into his hair and tugged until he was down to my level again. "You did. I'm telling you I bruise insanely easily. Besides, I've been told soreness is normal after a good night like we had. If that's the price to pay for it then I'll happily deal with it."

He huffed indignantly but didn't remove my hand. "I'd prefer to be paying for it than you."

I dropped a kiss against his mouth, erasing the almost pout before pulling back. "If it bothers you that much I can always take a bit of your blood?" It didn't bother me in the slightest, but the dark edge to his eyes said that it did bother him and that mattered to me. I didn't want him to be worrying about if he was bruising me while we were in bed, I preferred him as passionate as he'd been last night without a care in the world.

In answer, he dropped his mouth to his wrist and bit before offering it to me wordlessly. I took it without complaint, sliding my tongue across his skin and watching as his eyes sparked emerald. I shifted, feeling as the bruises healed nearly instantly. Once they were completely gone, I smiled at him. "All better."

The previous concern left his gaze, warmth coming back as his distress faded. "Good, if you bruise that easily then I may give you a bit of my blood each night. It also has the added benefit of lengthening your life."

The mention of lengthening my life caught my attention. "By how long?" Now my curiosity was fired up, we hadn't gotten around to discussing this yet and now it nagged at my mind. Would he want me to change over? I wasn't sure how I felt about that, to be honest.

The thought of spending centuries with him wasn't hard to consider, but it was daunting to think about dying, even if it was only briefly. Maximus's brow crunched as he watched me warily.

"With just a few drops a day, it would extend your life indefinitely. I hope that's not a problem?" His tone had lost its previous joy, replaced with wariness that sat wrong with me. Did he think I was going to insist on him not giving me blood?

While I was hesitant to take the full plunge and shed my humanity, I would never have gotten this serious with him if I hadn't intended to stay with him for his life, not mine. Staying human and refusing his blood would ensure my life span was considerably shorter than his, I could never leave him alone like that.

Seeing his fear, I quickly moved to extinguish it. Cupping his face, I made him look at me when I spoke. "No problem at all. I want to spend as many years as possible by your side, so it only makes sense to drink your blood."

He visibly deflated, his worry evaporating as he let his head drop into my throat. His next words were muffled, but I still made them out. "Praise the Lord, I thought for a moment that discussion was going to have a heartbreaking ending."

His obvious relief made me cringe in sympathy, "I'd never do that to you. While the thought of fully turning is daunting, if it came down to turn into a vampire or leave you alone after I die a human, I'd choose to be turned despite my discomfort with the idea."

Maximus pulled back from my throat, gratitude shining alongside his love. "I'll never force you to turn, but I would like to have the sire bond with you. You'd be able to feel everything I do and there's no one in the world I'd rather have full access to my emotions."

The thought was tempting, I wouldn't lie. I would also be stronger, faster and harder to kill, which I'm sure Maximus would appreciate. As my eyes drifted down to my useless legs, a question prodded me, refusing to leave until I voiced it.

"How would me being a vampire work with," I paused to gesture to my legs, "this."

Maximus stroked his thumb over my knee, the touch not registering through my nerve dead legs. "I could heal this, if it's what you want. I never brought it up before because I didn't want you to think I was trying to change you. I came into this relationship with the full understanding that you are in a wheelchair. I would never try to change you, unless it was something you wanted."

His eyes never wavered from me, the intensity making me swallow past my suddenly dry throat. How many times had I raged against the attack that had taken my legs? Taken my ability to dance, run, play, or even wrap my legs around the man I adored most? I knew Maximus would never force me to do anything, this included.

While the thought of being healed again was beyond tempting, I still had doubts. "Would I need to be turned for you to heal it?" My eyes had dropped to my legs, refusing to rise to meet his as I questioned him.

His hands cradled my face, carefully guiding my sight back to him before he answered. The soft lines around his mouth and eyes telling me that he knew how uncomfortable a subject this was for me. "No, you could still be human. I would have to reopen the injury though, to pour my blood over it. Then it would heal you back to what you were before this happened."

The thought of reopening that injury made my stomach heave. I could still remember the pain, fear and revulsion from that time. The sharp bite of the knife into my lower back and the counter he pinned me against. Could I allow someone else, even if it was Maximus, to cause that injury again? Would it make for an increase in nightmares?

And most importantly, would it make me fear Maximus? While I knew it would be different this time, no sexual assault and I would know it was coming, I wasn't sure how I felt about Maximus being the one to do it.

His arm immediately tightened around me again, his mouth dropping to my ear as he soothed. "You don't need to answer right now. Take your time and think it over. I love you as you are and if you chose to stay like this for the rest of our lives then I would still love you just the same."

His words helped me relax again, he was right. There was time to consider this later, for now I just wanted to bask in the progress we'd made and the happiness being with him brought.

I nodded, "I'll think about it, it is tempting but I'm not sure if I'd want you to be the one causing the injury. I don't want the past trauma to carry over into our relationship anymore than it already does."

Maximus understood, I could see it in his eyes as he hummed in agreement. We both fell into a comfortable silence, content to hold one another as the morning dawned bright and early.

It felt like minutes, but was actually hours before Maximus began to get ready for his day. I didn't try to stop him, I would have more time with him later and he had important duties to oversee. Now that Samir was back, he would take over some of Maximus's duties, freeing him to relax more, to my relief.

When Maximus bent to give me our customary hug goodbye, I tugged him down into a kiss. I made sure not to turn it into anything extreme, not wanting to make him late to work. When he pulled back with equal amounts of confusion and contentment, I smiled sheepishly. "Have a good day, Sweetheart."

He froze in place, every muscle stiffening as he processed the words. Did he not like nicknames? We'd never really discussed using them, but it just seemed right to call him something. Maybe he just didn't like sweetheart. It was a bit childish…

When he didn't move for another moment, I tried another one. "Er, Honey?" He twitched, but again made no other noise of approval or disgust.

Groaning to myself, I burst out. "Throw me a bone here, Babe. I can't tell if you're irritated by this or not with your poker face!"

That seemed to snap him out of it. His mouth clicked shut from its previous position hanging open. Clearing his throat, he apologized. "Sorry, you surprised me. I'm not irritated, not in the slightest. If you want to call me any of those, feel free. Don't be startled if I freeze the first few times, it's an adjustment period."

I relaxed, glad he wasn't irritated with it because I really liked nicknames and as my lover, he was the one I wanted to give one to the most. "Do you have a preference for which ones you want to be called? And I'm guessing you don't want me to use them in front of people right?"

Maximus blinked in confusion, "Why wouldn't I want you to use them with people around?"

I hesitated, not sure how to word it. "Because your friends could tease you? You know, having your partner calling you sugary sweet nicknames and all that? I was told it's childish and demeaning for most men…"

His face set in a grimace as he crouched to be at my level, "Rest assured, I don't mind you using any nickname you choose, of your before mentioned choices, whenever you want. The only ones I consider friends in the castle are Samir and Vlad, both of whom will tease me relentlessly either way. I'd prefer to hear your terms of endearment and ignore their words, than the reverse."

I sighed in relief, glad that he didn't have a problem with it since I really wanted to use nicknames with him. It may be childish, but I loved coming up with nicknames, and I couldn't wait to find the perfect one for Maximus. Until then, I'd stick with whatever came to mind, although I was leaning toward sweetheart. Not manly, but to me he was one so…

"I'll keep that in mind, if you ever get tired of it just let me know-." He cut me off with a kiss, successfully making me forget the rest of my sentence.

"I'll never be tired of it, but to put your mind at ease, I'll tell you if I do." I gave a dazed nod as he pulled back, his chuckle only registering after he had breezed out the door.

Shaking myself back to the present, I turned my wheels toward the kitchen. Breakfast, then I could think on the nicknames to use on him to make him freeze up. While I wouldn't purposefully do it with Vlad or Samir in the room, it would be fun to see how long before he'd adjusted. It wasn't often I took him by surprise so I'd enjoy this for however long it lasted.


	31. Chapter 31

Immediately upon entering, a familiar head of blonde hair greeted me with a beaming smile. "Can we play now?" Damian bounced on his heels, dancing in place with excitement as his eyes practically begged me to say yes.

"How about I get something to eat and then we can decide what to play?" I paused to gesture down to my legs, "I can't really play like most people though."

The briefest flash of sadness swept across his eyes before he visibly shook it off. "That's okay, do you like to read?"

When he made no move to step aside, I gestured to my lap. "I do, but before we get into that I need to make my breakfast. You can sit here again if you'd like?"

The words were barely out of my mouth before he was scrambling up into what was starting to be his spot. Securing him so he wouldn't fall off, I began preparing a basic sandwich as I continued where we'd left off.

"Do you like to read?"

Immediately he ducked his head, shame and discomfort making themselves known to my alarm. "I'm not good at reading… I try really hard!...But I usually don't understand a lot of words."

It broke my heart seeing the previously ecstatic little boy so downtrodden. Absentmindedly wrapping him into a hug, I reassured. "That's alright, not everyone's good at reading. I've known people who can program a computer to do nearly anything but can't tie their own shoelaces. There's nothing wrong with not being great at everything, it just makes you human."

That seemed to perk him up again, his smile waining slightly as he hesitantly questioned. "Can you help me read? Mom used to read to me because she said I'd never learn, but I want to."

Oh this kid was going to shred my heart without even trying, "Absolutely, I adore reading and I'd love to teach you. We can start with a series of books about a boy not much older than you who learns he's a wizard. His family are all nasty to him but a friendly giant named Hagrid comes to take him from them to go to the magical school."

I watched as his eyes lit up with interest, had I looked like that when my mother had first told me about Harry Potter? Shaking the thought to the side, I answered the many questions Damien had about the books while I finished my sandwich.

By the time I was done he was all but vibrating with joy. Biting back my chuckles, I turned toward my room and started wheeling my way. I should have that book somewhere in my things and if I didn't I'm sure Leila could tell me where to find a copy.

As I glanced down at the happily humming child in my lap, it struck me that his constant companion was gone. "Damien, where's Mira?"

He paused in his humming to tilt his head, the sight making me want to coo but I forced the urge down. Now was not the time to melt over how cute he was.

"I think she went with the lady from yesterday, the one who saved us with the fire man."

Hearing Vlad referred to as 'fire man' nearly made me lose it, but keeping it together, I nodded. "Good, she shouldn't be wandering around alone. This castle is big and she could get hurt."

Damien stared for a moment, a mix of uncertainty and hope in his eyes. "You really care about us, don't you?"

It took me by surprise, causing me to stop in my tracks. "Well, of course I do! You two and all the other children have been through more than enough as it is. I want to make sure you all stay safe, or as safe as possible."

The hope steadily grew until his eyes were overflowing with it, his little hands clutched my shirt as if terrified of letting go. "Would-...Would you adopt me?"

The question threw me for a loop. I hadn't even thought of children since Maximus and I had gotten together, his natural infertility making it a moot point. But I had to admit, Damien had wrapped himself tight around my heart and the thought of leaving him hurt.

I bit my lip, considering how to answer without getting his hopes up. I wouldn't mind adopting him, he was a sweet boy and I was sure between Maximus and I we could handle any problems he might have, but there was the problem. I had no idea what Maximus's thoughts were on the subject, so I couldn't answer for both of us.

Gently stroking his hair, I answered while reminding him not to get too excited. "I would love nothing more than to do that, you're adorable and so well behaved for your age that you constantly impress me. But I can't give you an answer right now. It's not just me who would be adopting you after all. Maximus would have to agree too."

Damien's eyes lost their previous excitement, the sudden downtrodden face and wobbling lip clawing at my heart. Wrapping him into a hug, I tried to sooth him. "I didn't say no Damien, I'll discuss it with Maximus once he's done with his work for the day.

The boy still didn't cheer up, tears running over as he clutched to my chest. "But he won't want me. I was a burden to him, I'm not supposed to be a burden or else I won't get adopted…"

If I'd been moving that would have brought me to a screeching halt. "Now who told you that? And you are not a burden! Where did you get such an idea from?"

His face angled down to hide his tears as he mumbled, "I got caught after they freed us, he had to save me. My mother said-."

I cut him off, tightening my hold until he was pressed to my shoulder. His tears soaked into my shoulder as he scrubbed his face against me, not bothering to finish his sentence as silent sobs rolled through him.

Oh! That woman had better pray I never met her! I'd give her a piece of my mind for what she did to this poor little boy.

Gently tugging him off my shoulder, I shook my head determinedly. "No. You are not a burden, okay? Any blame falls to the horrible men who held you captive, not you. If Maximus doesn't want to adopt anyone it won't be because it was you personally. Okay?"

I wish I could erase all the horrid thoughts that devil woman had planted in his mind, but for now I'd be happy just to make his tears stop. As he wiped at his cheeks, sniffling miserably to himself, I knew there was nothing I could do to truly cheer him up. So I'd distract him and as soon as possible I'd talk to Maximus.

I couldn't see a reason why we couldn't adopt him, but the topic of kids had never come up before. What would Damien do if Maximus didn't want to adopt him? Would he find a good home or would another monster sink its claws into him? The thought made bile climb into my throat and my arms clutch him closer as if to shield him from it all.

Forcing myself to focus, I gave what I hoped was a convincing smile. "How about a Disney movie marathon after we read some? I think we could both use the relaxer and maybe we can get Maximus to join us."

Leaning in to whisper as if telling him a secret, I told him. "Not many people know that Maximus likes those movies just as much as I do, don't tell anyone okay?"

Damien nodded, not commenting on the subject change as I wheeled us both into my room. As I unburied my old copy of Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone, Damien cuddling into my lap as I began to read while pointing at the words for him to see, I sent up a prayer that Maximus agreed to take him in. I didn't want to see him go anymore than he himself wanted to leave.


	32. Chapter 32

It was an hour later when Damien drifted off, his crying earlier and now the reading lulling him to sleep. Just before I could lay him down on the couch, Maximus swept through the door.

A smile curled his lips as he took in the scene, the tender gleam to his eyes filling me with hope and a squirmy kind of happiness I still wasn't used to. His smile dropped when he met my eyes, apparently sensing that something wasn't right.

Gesturing for him to wait a minute, I laid Damien down before turning to face him. Whispering as to not wake the napping boy behind me, I tugged on his hand toward the hall. "He probably won't wake up thanks to his exhaustion from crying but lets not risk it."

Alarm flared in his eyes at the mention of crying, but he didn't fight. Once we were outside, with the door shut behind us, he asked. "Crying?"

His concern was touching, further bolstering my hope that he'd agree to take Damien in. "Oh, Maximus. His mother was a horrid woman! She made him believe that if he was even slightly inconveniencing someone then they wouldn't want him."

Maximus's eyes darkened, his mouth curling in distaste as he stroked my hand. "I've never heard of a mother training their child to be adopted, but this is even worse than I'd thought."

He fell into consideration, giving me a chance to choose my words. "Maximus, Damien asked if I'd- we'd adopt him."

The sudden jolt he gave, staring down at me in surprise, announced his shock more than his words. "He did?" Briefly he glanced back toward the room, uncertainty creeping across his face before looking back to me.

I didn't want to put him on the spot, this wasn't a decision to make lightly after all, so I squeezed his hand. "I know we haven't discussed kids yet and I'm not going to push for an answer right now. I just wanted to see what your general thoughts were before I even contemplated it as a possibility."

I watched as he swallowed, the previous uncertainty growing until it seemed to be all that was in his eyes. "Zelda, I'm-. Not sure about this. My history with children isn't good." His voice dropped to a pained whisper, something in it snapping my attention to him.

This sounded bad… Gesturing to his door, I reached to hold his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

His grimace was an answer in itself, but he nodded. "If we're even starting to consider adopting a child, Damien or otherwise, then you need to know something about my past."

That definitely sounded bad, but I forced my nerves down until we were both settled into his room. His nerves confused me as he paced back and forth. Did he think I was going to tell him I'd leave if he didn't agree? I'd never do such a thing to him…

"You don't need to be so nervous, even if you don't want kids I'm not leaving you." Better to get that out there now.

He paused, none of the nerves leaving his eyes but warmth nudging in alongside it. Heaving a sigh, he sat down on the bed next to my chair and clasped my hands. "I know you wouldn't, but that's not why I'm nervous. Zelda, I didn't tell you this part of my service in the Crusades because...well I don't want you to see me any different. The thought of you looking at me with disgust, it destroys me."

Every radar I had was going off with every word he spoke, what could he possibly have done to make him think I'd see him as anything but the man I loved? I didn't have to wait long to find out. His hand clutched mine as if terrified I'd disappear the second he let go as he slowly began to explain.

"I was ordered, alongside the other soldiers, to kill every civilian in the Holy City when we took it back during the Crusades. Women, children, it didn't matter. People who had done nothing wrong other than not being on our side of the war. The memories still haunt me to this day, the terrified faces of my victims and the children…"

His voice grew ragged, his eyes shutting as his head hung. He looked as if he were bracing for a blow and with tears threatening to overflow I realized that he was. He thought I was going to hurt him, whether emotionally or physically I wasn't sure but either option was equally as abhorrent.

"God, Zelda, the children… I should have defied my orders, I couldn't have been the only one to want to refuse. Maybe, if I had stood against my commanding officer, others would have too-."

Tears gathered in his eyes, the pink liquid ripping my heart to shreds as he clutched so hard at his knees I briefly worried about him breaking them. Wheeling forward, I couldn't stop myself from wrapping my arms around him to drag him into an embrace.

While the thought of what he was describing made my stomach sour, it didn't change my view of him in the slightest and I made sure to tell him such. "Maximus, what happened was horrible, I won't lie, but you've carried this guilt for centuries. It isn't as if you went back and did it again, you saw that it was wrong and while you may not have tried to stop it, you left. Right? That's why you left from the Templar order?"

He nodded, not lifting his head from my shoulder as he clutched to my back. Having my usually strong lover crumpled so thoroughly into my arms made tears burn in my eyes. He shouldn't be like this, crying and hurting from following an order from nearly a millennium ago. I wished I could go back, if nothing else then to be there for him when he'd first gone through this. If he was still hurting like this after this long then what had it been like when he'd first done it?

Shaking the thought to the side, I continued. "I don't see you any differently, although the thought of what you've had to go through alone for so long is enough to make me want to wrap myself around you and barricade both of us in my room."

Pulling back, I cupped his face and gently turned it to meet my eyes. "I love you Maximus, nothing's changing that."

All of his previous fear dissolved into relief, his arms rising to pluck me from my chair and deposit me on his lap. I understood his need for contact, I'd felt it many times over the years myself during my darker periods. Wrapping myself around him, I tightened my grip as much as possible until we were both clutching desperately to one another.

Silence rang as we soaked in the other's presence, before Maximus broke it. His voice was like gravel from the emotions still threatening to drown him, the sound making my heart ache in my chest. "Praise the Lord, I thought-."

I knew what he thought and it hurt to even contemplate. Dropping a kiss to his forehead, I nodded. "I know, but I'm not going anywhere. Not for this, and not if you decide you don't want to adopt anyone."

His eyes followed my every movement, a hefty sigh coming from his lungs as he leaned back on the bed, bringing me with him as he did. "I'm not sure if I'll make a good father figure. I spend most of my time working, we barely have time as it is to spend together. Not to mention my history…"

Raking my hands through his hair, I felt as he leaned in. How could I show him that his history wasn't his future? He was painfully careful with me, and I had no doubt that he'd be the same with Damien.

Maybe if I helped him understand that it was normal to be afraid you wouldn't be good enough? I certainly had that, with my inability to even stand. "It's normal to think you wouldn't be a good parent, until recently I didn't think I could do it because of my wheelchair but Damien doesn't seem to mind that. Between the two of us, if you wanted to, I think we could raise him right."

I watched as he leaned his head back, the thoughts practically visible as he thought over the options. Cracking an eye open, he met mine with a hesitant hopefulness. "Let me start by saying your chair doesn't make you any less worthy of being a mother, you're beautiful inside and out. Any child would be lucky to have you as their mother."

The compliment made me flush, but for once he didn't comment on it. "And, if you want to adopt Damien then I have a proposition. We tell Vlad about our intent to possibly adopt Damien so he won't make other arrangements for the boy. Then we just...wait. We can do all the things we would do as a family and if we all seem to adjust well, then we make it official."

It was more than I'd been hoping for after hearing about his past. Giving him a squeeze of support, I kissed him with everything I felt for him and hoped some of it made it through. I wished he could read my emotions, my words never did what I was feeling justice but if he could feel me then he'd never have to wonder just how integral he was to my life.

I'd have to settle for this though. Not that this was a bad thing and as Maximus tilted both our heads to deepen the kiss I knew he understood. We stayed plastered against one another, content to relax after the emotional upheaval of the day.

After a while, a quiet voice snapped us out of our bubble. "Hello?"

Apparently Damien had woken up and went in search for us. Raising my voice just loud enough to be heard, I called to him. "In here Damien."

The blonde head poked in not a second later, shyly glancing around only to hesitate at the door when he saw Maximus. I could practically read his nerves, considering that he knew the decision on whether or not he was going to be adopted rested with Maximus I understood why he'd be scared.

All the same, Maximus and I shared a glance that exchanged an entire conversation, before raising his hand to beckon Damien closer. Sitting up, Maximus put me back in my chair before facing the boy now toeing the ground.

Kneeling to be at his level, Maximus began. "Zelda told me that you want us to adopt you, is that true?"

Damien nodded, his little body shaking with nerves now and making me ache to wrap him into a hug. Thankfully Maximus didn't leave him in suspense for long. "We agreed that we'll do a test run, of sorts. I'll go to Vlad in a bit and tell him not to make other arrangements for you to live elsewhere. If all goes well and we all like being a family, then we'll adopt you."

Damien's head snapped up so fast I briefly worried he'd get whiplash, but that concern disappeared when he lunged up into Maximus's arm in the next second. Thank you's flew from his mouth at lightspeed as he latched onto the older male.

"I promise to be extra good and help around the house and-." Maximus pulled him into a hug, cutting him off gently, but firmly.

"That's unnecessary. If you want to help, then you can, but it is not required for you to stay. All we ask is that you be respectful, be polite and do as you're told. If there's something we're asking that you don't want to do or answer, explain why. We'll decide where to go from there, okay?"

Damien melted against his shoulder, sniffling from happy tears now as he cuddled closer. "Kay."

Rolling up beside them, I met Maximus's eyes with a knowing smile. I knew he was going to make a good father and soon he'd see it for himself. He gave me a tired smile before lifting his arm in invitation that I quickly took. As we wrapped around each other, Damien smushed happily between us, I took a moment to be grateful for the family I was building.

A year ago I'd been alone, but now I had a sister, brother figure in Vlad, a lover and now a potential son. What a difference a year made…

Glancing at the twin heads of blonde, I blinked in realization. "I never noticed before but you two look really similar."

Maximus pulled back, looking down to Damien who was now examining Maximus's golden hair with open fascination. Taking a few strands of his own, he held it by Damien's face and nodded in agreement with her.

"You're right, when you add in his eyes being like yours, he could probably pass as a biological child of ours." The statement immediately made Damien beam, his little body vibrating with happiness at the thought.

Chuckling to myself, I inched forward to brush his hair back affectionately. "I guess somethings are just meant to be?"

Maximus hummed, moving to stand and depositing Damien in my lap as he did so. "I'll go talk to Vlad. Better to get this done quickly so there won't be any roadblocks."

He leaned down to drop a kiss against my head before ruffling Damien's hair. "When I get back, if you two want, we can do something together."

Damien piped up before I could say a word, "Can we read some more? I fell asleep before but it was really fun before then!"

Sharing a glance, Maximus shrugged. "If we all feel like it then I have no problem with it." Damien began to excitedly gush about his favorite parts of the book to me as Maximus left to talk to Vlad. I hoped that everything went this smoothly through the rest of our lives…


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three (POV Switch to Leila)

Leila curled into Vlad's warmth as a repetitive sound kept trying to drag her out of her sleep. Distantly she felt the rumble of Vlad's voice as he snarled for the person to come in, but her mind was already drifting back to sleep now that the knocking was gone.

Before she could go completely back to sleep, she felt a careful nudge against her side that made her groan. "Leila, wake up. Mira has something to ask you."

The name of the little girl they'd rescued helped snap her to full consciousness. Dragging herself up to sit against Vlad, the dawn's hold making it considerably harder than it should be, she brought her attention to Mira.

She was half hiding behind the door now, but Leila could easily make out the tears streaking down her cheeks. The sight ripped at her heart strings, making her move to get up in the next second. "Thanks Samir, I've got it now."

With a bow, the man left. Mira relaxed once he was gone, but didn't move from the door. Leila could practically feel Vlad's irritation from being woken only for the girl to not say what she wanted. Reaching under the blanket she stroked his side, mumbling low enough for Mira to not hear. "Vlad, she's scared."

He heaved a sigh but the sharp bite against her subconscious lifted. He gestured for her to enter when she hovered a moment more. "You had something you wished to ask Leila, did you not?"

She let out a quiet eep before inching forward as bid. Stopping a few feet from the bed, she mumbled. "I had a nightmare…"

Vlad's shields cracked as a flash of pure disbelief filtered through. Before he could say anything that in his sleep deprived mind would reduce the girl to tears, Leila jumped in. "There's nothing to be ashamed of in that, I have them all the time."

Her head perked up as hope broke through her expression, "Do they get better?"

Considering what her nightmares were about, Vlad would probably be the better one to ask on that… Leila hesitated, glancing at Vlad covertly from the corner of her eye. Catching his wife's gaze, he sighed.

He couldn't stay irritated with Mira, she was scared just as Leila had said. His wife was the only person in this castle, aside from himself, that she may trust after her captivity. It only made sense that she'd go to them when something like a nightmare hit and in this case he understood why Leila was hesitant to answer.

When it came to similarities, he and Mira were near mirror images and not just physically, although there were some impressive comparisons to be made there as well.

He'd met very few people who had copper eyes the same shade as his own, although hers lacked the emerald ring of the Dracul line.

Their pasts were similar as well, held in captivity for a portion of their childhood although he wasn't sure just how long they'd held her yet. The brief glance he'd had at her scars made him guess at least a few years.

So, with some reluctance, he answered. "Time eases some of them, although you may never feel completely comfortable with touch. I certainly don't unless I've allowed it ahead of time."

Mira stared in open wonder as the pieces clicked into place, her voice was quiet as if sharing a secret. "The bad men hurt you too?"

Her eyes filled with sympathy and sadness, despite not knowing him she mourned that he'd been through something similar to her own experience.

As the last of his irritation with being woken only a few hours after he'd gone to sleep drained away, he nodded. "It was long ago, I wasn't much older than you, but yes."

The wonder came back as the pain faded, "But you're so strong."

He let a dry chuckle pass his lips, feeling as Leila curled against his side for comfort through what she knew was a sensitive subject. Absentmindedly he allowed his arm to curl around her waist as he considered how to answer.

"I wasn't at your age." It was the truth, it'd taken him many years of honing his strength through training before he reached his current power level. Even to this day he still had much to improve on.

She inched even closer now, hovering closer to him than Leila as she questioned hopefully. "Does that mean I can get as strong as you too? So no one can hurt me again?"

Something twisted in his chest at the thought of her going through half the thing's he had to get where he was. While he had adjusted to modern day life well, there were some things he still had to work on, such as not wishing women to be on the battle field. But as he looked down into her hopeful and scared eyes, he sighed.

One of the first things he'd done after he'd been released from captivity was train his body to it's current physical form. He hadn't wanted anyone to be able to best him just for the reason she didn't, he couldn't refuse her the right to the security it had brought him.

"With many years of training, yes. Although, I received a gift from my sire that proved useful in expanding my battle prowess, you most likely could sharpen your skills to fend off most attackers."

Immediately after he finished, he knew that most of the words had gone over her head. The slight tilt and furrow of her brow further that belief and made him reword it to be easier for her to understand. It'd been so long since he'd had to consider dumbing down a statement for a child, he wasn't use to doing it anymore. "Yes, but you'd have to work hard for a long time."

She perked up a bit, "I can do that." Anything to never have to let someone touch me like that again.

The thought was eerily similar to his own when he was younger and human. Shaking the thought to the side, he prodded. "Will that be all?" He'd like to get some sleep tonight, after all. While he wouldn't snap at her for asking questions that only he could answer, he may get a bit sharp if she stopped him from sleeping for much longer.

He'd have to make a point of explaining to her tomorrow that the middle of the night was not the time to ask questions, if she wrote them down and brought them to him tomorrow he would answer them happily…

She ducked her head, toeing at the ground as she mentally fished for something else to ask. The desperation to stay and talk confused him before understanding dawned. She didn't want to go back to bed. Again, that wasn't something he would fault her for. When he had nightmares nine times out of ten he would work and the last one he would distract himself with Leila, who was more than happy to work as distraction from the darker memories. Though lately that had been happening more than going to work since his wife insisted on playing distraction… Shaking the thought off, he focused back on the little girl.

She didn't have that option.

Seeing the problem, Leila jumped back in with ease. She remembered when Gretchen had used to get nightmares after their mother had passed and their dad had been less than sympathetic. Maybe the same trick would work now…

Leila shifted so her legs were over the side of the bed and she was face to face with Mira. "How about this, I have a friend my mother gave me when I was about your age and he kept my nightmares away. I don't know if he'll do the same for you, but if nothing else he can be your friend and I'll tuck you both back in. Alright?"

Vlad marveled at her handling of the situation, he hadn't even thought of that. Though to be fair he hadn't used his child rearing knowledge in five centuries, Leila had much more recent experience, though briefly, with Gretchen.

He sat back and watched as Mira nodded, the nerves seeping out of her at the thought of having a friend.

Moving over to the closet where her mother's chest rested at the back, she dug until she found the stuffed animal. It'd been cleaned up from when she'd last used it, the blood stains now gone to her relief, and the sight of it stung less now than it had all those years ago.

Crouching to offer it to her, Leila smiled. "Here, my mother made him for me so you have to promise to be very careful with him."

Mira nodded, her eyes wide as she hugged what was supposed to be a bear close as she cuddled it. She let out a quiet thank you before burying her face in its head. The sight twisted her heart but she didn't let it show as she stood while offering her a hand. "You're welcome, now then. Let's get you back in bed, yeah?"

She nodded again, taking Leila's hand as she led her back to where the kids were staying. One of the guards stood outside as Vlad had ordered, while he'd hoped that there wouldn't be anymore incidents it was better to be safe than sorry. Due diligence.

Once she was back in bed, Leila tucked the blankets back around her with the bear curled against her side. "Good night Mira. Have sweet dreams."

She waited until Mira had dozed off again before rising, nearly tripping over her own feet when she found Vlad leaned against the wall outside waiting for her.

Not saying a word, he offered his arm in invitation and led them back to their chambers. It was only after they'd gotten settled that he addressed what just happened. "You like her, don't you?"

Jerking at the unexpected question, Leila hesitated. "Yeah, I kinda do. She reminds me of a mixture of both of us. For obvious reasons."

Vlad snorted, yes between her past mirroring his and her appearance looking akin to Leila, he could easily see where she'd come to that conclusion.

He could also see where this was going.

"I take it you want to adopt her?"

Leila blinked owlishly up at him as if the thought hadn't even occurred to her and, after a moment of consideration, maybe it hadn't. She'd always known she would never have children, so maybe it truly never crossed her mind to adopt Mira.

After a moment of thought, Leila shrugged. "I honestly hadn't even thought about it. I know you probably don't want them, what with your history, so I just shut the whole topic down as a hard no."

She trailed off, leaving it for him to decide without actually asking. And just like that it was all on him.

Leaning his head back against the headboard, he considered the situation. He'd only just admitted, albiet mentally, that Leila would make a wonderful mother had she been given the chance. While he knew that if he told her no she would never hold it against him, he remembered allowing Mircea's mother to sleep with others with his knowledge because he hadn't wanted to rob her of motherhood.

Looking down into Leila's guarded eyes, he wished that he could hear her thoughts again. If she hadn't shut the conversation down he doubted that she didn't want Mira, but where exactly did she stand on this?

"I am not completely adverse to the thought, but there are problems to be considered. Such as your electricity, though wearing gloves can negate that, and my enemies choosing to use her as they have used you."

The thought made Leila grimace, while they'd dealt with Sylagi and Mircea, his two worst adversaries, there would be more. Mira couldn't stay locked in the castle for the rest of her life, it wouldn't be fair to her. Though she seemed to want to be trained, how strong would she have to be to stand against Vlad's enemies?

As the questions rolled over in her head, an answer blared through them all. "Magic."

Immediately Vlad scowled, but he didn't tell her to stop. After a moment he gestured for her to go on, despite the frown on his face.

"Ian mentioned that Veritas cast a spell that repelled all magical or physical attacks on him. Ian knows magic right? We could ask him to cast it on her and when she's older, if she wants to, she could probably learn it herself. It definitely gave Mircea an edge enough to be a threat so she'd be able to hold her own against any enemy you make from here on."

Vlad hummed as he considered the offer, it would work. Mencheres probably knew the spell, which meant they wouldn't have to involve the insipid whore either. And while he would never admit it, he was beginning to become attached to Mira. Whether it was the sympathy of their shared childhoods or her striking similarity to Leila with the addition of his eyes, he wasn't sure but there was definitely a draw there.

She would also need help growing up, questions that he was best equipped to answer for her and problems that few would understand.

Nodding resolutely, he locked eyes with Leila. "We'll discuss this more tomorrow, but know that I am open to the possibility." His mouth curled sardonically, "If the looks I was seeing between Damien and your sister are any indication I expect to have Maximus coming soon with a formal request to adopt the boy."

The thought made Leila smile, she'd seen how easily Damien and Zelda had gotten along too and couldn't be happier for them. While they couldn't keep tabs on all the kids to ensure they had good lives, at least this way Damien and Mira would.

Curling into Vlad's chest, she let herself relax again. "I'm glad for them, they'll make good parents."

Vlad hummed, his arm tightening around her. "And you will too."

His confidence in her was nice, but she didn't miss that he hadn't included himself in that statement. "And you won't?"

The briefest flash of uncertainty showed before he scoffed. "You do remember that one of the boys I raised as my son is now dead and the other is in the dungeon after trying and nearly succeeding to kill you?"

Leila sighed, of course he was going to hold onto that. Cupping his face, she disagreed. "Vlad, the reason Mircea went off the deep end was a mix of his own poor decisions and abandonment issues. It wasn't as if you left him behind on purpose either, you did it because you were too busy trying to keep your country from falling into enemy hands. Last I checked that isn't an issue this time and while yes, you do get snappy when stressed, you won't be doing it alone. The only thing you need to worry about in your parenting style is if you actually want to emotionally invest yourself in a child. Because she's going to cling to you Vlad when you least want her to, she's probably going to want hugs and encouragement and all that from you because if she sees me as a mother you're going to be the father. She'll also wonder into your meetings, demand attention when you don't have time and probably want to do things like play in the snow because she doesn't understand reputation or why you'd need to look a certain way to other people. So before we actually decide to adopt her, can you be her father? Because I'm not doing this solo."

She refused to explain to a heartbroken little girl why Vlad wouldn't love her, she'd lived that shit and wouldn't wish it on anyone. Least of all the girl they were contemplating adopting.

Vlad stared intently into her eyes as he rolled the question over. She had a point. His neglect of Mircea had played a key role in the outcome for what he was now. While he wouldn't waste time on what ifs, it was important to learn from his mistakes and not repeat them.

So, as he settled into the bed, he thought on if he could do as asked. Kids were a handful, though a rewarding one. Mira was already starting to look up to him, he'd heard it when she'd been asking him questions before. It wouldn't be long before she began to put him in the father role and expect all the things that came with it.

He let his mind wander to what it would be like, should they adopt her. He'd already shifted his image considerably by marrying Leila, adding Mira to the picture shouldn't change it by much. He'd have to explain that when visitors were here she couldn't expect open affection as it would make him appear weak in front of other masters, but aside from that?

He thought back to five centuries ago when he would come home from a battle to Vladimir all but catapulting at him for an embrace. Replacing the image with his home and Mira, he didn't mind the thought as he figured he would. Leila was also more likely to stay home to help watch Mira, therefor keeping her out of the battles that weren't absolutely necessary. He certainly had no problem with that.

Nights like tonight, where nightmares would attack, she'd want to sleep with them. She'd wanted to this time but her nerves had stopped her from asking. As he considered it, the smaller black haired girl curled between them, he found the thought almost comforting.

With a sigh, he nodded. "I would be equally as responsible for her upbringing as you would be. You wouldn't be raising her alone, that I assure you. Though I will insist on tutors, it was customary for those of the Dracul line to be well read and I won't let that tradition die."

Leila easily agreed, with stipulations. "As long as the course load isn't horrible for someone her age then I agree. Hell I wish I'd been able to stay in school, but after my ability came in I couldn't risk breaking out into a screaming attack because I touched the wrong textbook."

He squeezed her in comfort, knowing that her lack of education was a sore point for her. "Of course, I despised most of what I was learning though I had to be educated in courtly duties, which she does not. Her studies would be the basics of mathematics and language, both Romanian and English. Things that any child should know, as she ages the difficulty will increase. If she seems to be having difficulties in an area we can focus on it more and adjust the schooling as needed."

He was more talking to himself as he considered the many things that he'd have to do before they could officially adopt her.

"I can make the call to Mencheres tomorrow, if I'm opening myself to a child again she will be protected. There will be no repeats…"

Old pain sliced through their bond, making her tighten her arms around him. She'd never thought he would even consider having a kid, what with the pain from Vladimir's death still so fresh despite the five centuries of time between when he'd lost his son. She couldn't be prouder of him for doing this.

Kissing him soundly, she nodded. "You're not alone in protecting her Vlad, you have Mencheres, Maximus and me this time. She'll be okay, we'll make sure of it."

Sighing through his nose, he nodded. "Let us sleep, we shall have a busy day come tomorrow and we'll need the rest."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

Maximus breezed down the halls, nodding to the staff as he passed while none of his nerves showed on his face. They were adopting Damien. He'd never thought to try to have a family of his own, not after depriving so many of theirs in his younger years, but as he remembered the matching eyes pleading with him he knew he'd have to find a way to make this work.

Zelda seemed certain that he'd do a decent job, so he'd just have to live up to her expectations.

Stopping in front of Vlad's office door, he heard the slight hesitation before Vlad called for him to enter. He nearly ground to a halt in surprise at the sight that met him, picking his jaw up off the ground after a second.

The girl they'd rescued alongside Damien was now sitting at Vlad's feet, happily playing with what looked like a bear and toy soldiers, though he had no idea where she'd gotten the odd menagerie of toys from.

More importantly, she was leaned against Vlad's legs and he didn't seem to mind. When Maximus eventually met the emerald ringed copper gaze, he lifted a brow in surprise. Vlad merely sent him a sardonic look back, before saying with sarcasm all but dripping off each word. "I wouldn't say anything since I have a decent hunch as to why you're here."

Fair point, Maximus certainly hadn't seen himself in a father role even a few months ago so he had no right to be so surprised over Vlad taking it up as well. Though, as he briefly remembered a time that felt like another life, he knew that Vlad could be a decent father when he chose to be. He'd just never expected his oldest friend to take the plunge again after Vladimir's death and the destruction it'd brought him.

Shaking the thought to the side for now, he got to what he came here for. "True and if it's adopting Damien then you'd be correct."

Vlad was already rooting in his desk before he'd finished the sentence, handing over a stack of papers without a thought as he smirked. "I'm sure you never thought to see me in such a role again, though I'm sure you'll fit into it just fine with Zelda's aid."

Maximus nodded, taking the papers as he leafed through them absentmindedly. "You will too. From what I remember you handled Valdimir fine and this time you'll have Leila. I shudder to think of what she'd do to anyone who so much as breathed near any child of yours wrong."

The dry statement dragged a chuckle from Vlad as he glanced over to the girl trying her best to not look like she was shamelessly listening in. He and Leila hadn't told her about the adoption yet, though now that Maximus had announced his intent to adopt Damien they would probably do so soon.

As if in response to his thought, Leila came strutting in after a brief knock. "Hey, how's Zelda doing?"

The sly twist to her lips spoke what she actually meant and Maximus' expression shifted into an almost dreamy quality. "Last I checked she was teaching Damien to read with Harry Potter, both of them looking like two peas in a pod."

Her smile softened, happy to hear that her sister was settling in so well before shaking it off to focus on Vlad. "I finished with Gretchen and what she needed, want me to take Mira now?"

Maximus stayed back as he watched the exchange, understanding dawning as the little girl happily ran to Leila. That would explain why she was in here with Vlad…

Vlad hummed, "Whatever is easiest for you. She hasn't caused any disturbances and I have no meetings scheduled today. Though before you go we should probably discuss some things with her."

Leila didn't need him to go into detail about what that was, neither did Maximus who easily turned to leave. "And with that I'll leave you to it, if you need us you know where we are."

With that he left, headed back to Damien and Zelda with a slight spring to his step. This was just the first step in a very long process, but as he heard Mira's shouts of excitement behind him he chuckled. The castle was about to get a lot more lively, what with two children running around and causing mischief.

Moving back into his room where he heard quiet giggling from, he crossed the threshold and smiled. Zelda was overacting all the voices of the story, gesturing wildly as she read to Damien's delight.

Maximus walked up behind the couch they were resting on, leaning against it as both heads snapped up to greet him in delight though Damien's was tempered with nerves as well. Seeing the anxiety, he soothed that first by holding up the paperwork. "Once this is filled out it'll be started."

Damien relaxed, now happy to gush about the book they were reading. "Have you ever read this before? It's awesome! There are wizards and witches and three headed dogs and-."

His exuberance was cute as he rambled on occasionally pausing to be sure he was still listening. Maximus made sure to nod at the correct times as the boy stared up at him with adoring eyes. He had to get used to that, but as Damien raised his arms hesitantly and asked, "Can you come read too?" He knew that the adjustment wouldn't be too hard.

Settling next to Zelda who happily made room for him, choosing to lean against his side with Damien resting in both their laps now, he wrapped an arm loosely around his new family and questioned. "Where were you two at previously?"

The hours passed quickly, time sliding away as they all became engrossed in the book. It was only when an excited knock came that they paused, to Damien's disappointment.

Zelda kissed his head, soothing the pout easily as Maximus moved for the door. "No need to be sad, I can see us making this a normal thing."

He nodded, breaking into a beam when the door opened to show Mira bouncing on her toes with Leila behind her. Zelda took one look at the affectionate smile on her sister's face and chuckled, "You get pulled into those eyes too?"

She nodded easily, moving to the couch as the kids gushed to one another about being adopted. "Yup, though I didn't even think about adopting her until Vlad mentioned it. I never thought he'd agree so the thought of kids never even crossed my mind."

Zelda glanced at her in confusion, "Why wouldn't he agree?" From what she'd seen Vlad hadn't seemed the type to dislike children, though to be fair she hadn't seen him interact with them outside of Damien and Mira.

Leila's mouth pulled into a grimace as she contemplated how much to tell her sister, "Vlad…had a son. He doesn't like talking about him because he died, so don't bring it up. Alright?"

A hand covered her mouth as the new information sank in, "That's awful." Leila nodded, watching the kids gang up on Maximus to try to climb him like a jungle gym.

"Does that man never catch a break?" That pulled a snort from Leila, happy to leave the more painful mood behind.

"I've thought that more than once since I've met him and the answer seems to be no. Though lately we've been handling everything decently well. Later today his father figure will be coming in to put a spell of protection around Mira. I thought I'd stop by and ask if you'd want the same for Damien, Mencheres already said he could if it's what you want."

Zelda met Maximus' gaze who immediately nodded. "Sounds good to me, though I'm not sure what all a protection spell is."

Leila spent the next hour explaining the ins and outs of magic, from what little she knew, but by the time she finished Zelda was far more relaxed at the thought of Damien wandering around a castle.

"After my kidnapping I wasn't so sure about adopting Damien, but I couldn't say no to those eyes." That had been one of the few things to make Zelda hesitate before she'd brought it to Maximus, but hearing that such a spell existed certainly helped dispel that worry.

Leila nodded, "Yeah, that definitely isn't something we want a repeat of…with anyone."

Before they could continue, Vlad came in with a tall middle eastern man who had a blond woman attached to his arm. Immediately when the blond's eyes landed on the playing children she let out a quiet aww.

"You were right, she does look just like you two."

Mira froze, toeing the ground shyly as she glanced pleading at Leila for help. Leila didn't hesitate to move, patting her head gently before grinning at the blonde. "Yeah, I didn't even notice until it was pointed out to be but hey at least no one will ask questions when we're out and about right?"

The lady looked past Leila, before her eyes landed on me. Forcing back the urge to hide, I smiled. "Hi, I'm Zelda."

The briefest flicker of amusement passed before she nodded, "Kira, good to meet you. The man behind me is Mencheres, my husband." I noted that she didn't try to shake my hand. Had someone warned her about my not liking touch?

In answer Vlad shifted just the slightest bit, catching my attention as he nodded.

Thanks.

Another nod but before he could move to introduce the kids, Damien bolted to my side while eyeing them warily or more specifically he was eyeing Mencheres. Bending to whisper, I asked while knowing full well the others could hear me. "What's wrong? He's Vlad's father."

Idly I noticed the man puff up a bit from the title, making me want to smile until Damien's reply pulled a wince from me. "I don't know him, what if he's here to hurt you?"

Okay so we had some issues to take care of…

"Damien, I appreciate how protective you are but would Vlad let someone dangerous around you or Mira?"

His face scrunched up before he reluctantly shook his head, "No…" But he still didn't move from my side.

Sending Mencheres an apologetic look, he merely smiled. "He means no harm, there's nothing wrong with a boy being protective of the women around him. He'll be a fine warrior one day."

The thought of Damien fighting nearly sent my heart to my shoes in fear before I shook it off, what he chose to do was entirely up to him and there was no use freaking out over it now.

Instead I shifted my attention to Damien as he puffed up in pride at the compliment. Well, at least now he wouldn't glare at Vlad's father the entire time he was here. Progress.

Mencheres stepped forward, pulling my attention to him as he spoke. "The process to put the spell on the children should only take minutes, if you'd like to get started?"

Before he could make another move, Mira hid behind Leila and Damien stiffened. "Spell?"

Seeing the misstep, I rushed to reassure them. "A protection spell, it makes you harder to hurt."

Damien seemed pacified by that, but Mira clamped to Leila's leg and muttered. "Will it hurt?"

Mencheres tilted his head, "A bit, though it will fade within moments."

That really didn't soothe her any and as she started to inch backwards toward Vlad, I knew this wasn't going to be easy.

In a flash she'd run behind Vlad, eyes filling as she used his legs to hide. The man sighed, reaching back to gently tug her out. "Mira, I understand you're frightened but this is vital for us adopting you."

One of my brows hiked in intrigue as I glanced at Leila who nodded. Okay, apparently he wasn't lying. But when I thought about it, I guess it made sense that he'd only agree if she had etra layers of protection.

Mira visibly struggled with this information before deflating, "Kay…"

It was pitiful to watch as she became a quaking ball of skin and bones with each step Mencheres took near her. By the time he was in front of her she looked ready to bolt but to her credit she stayed perfectly still as Mencheres made a few hand motions in the air above her before gently touching her forehead.

Mira squirmed, her hatred of touching working against her as her lip wobbled treacherously. I could all but feel the protective instinct rolling off Leila right now and honestly I couldn't blame her. If it were Damien looking like that I'd probably react the same way.

When Mencheres pulled back a few minutes later, Mira finally allowed herself to run but instead of running to Vlad, like I expected, she ran to Leila.

Leila didn't miss a beat, perching her on her hip after a shared glance with Vlad. "Well, at least that's over with right?"

Mencheres gave a nod before looking to Damien, "Almost."

Instead of hiding, Damien all but ran forward to my surprise. Maximus came up behind me to mutter. "He doesn't want Mencheres near you."

Ah, that made sense in a weird way. We're really going to have to work on that in the future though. I couldn't avoid having others around me, no matter how nice it sounded…

Vlad nodded in response to my thoughts, the line of his shoulders tense as he eyed Mira. Apparently it wasn't only Leila who'd had difficulties seeing her so upset, not that it was surprising. If Vlad hadn't cared for the girl then he never would've agreed to adopt her.

I watched him move to Leila's side, briefly checking on Mira as Mencheres put the spell on Damien. The little girl hesitated before reaching for Vlad, who paused to look around the room before taking her.

They made quite the sight and with Leila on his other side I could easily see the resemblance between all three of them. Mira didn't waste a minute before cuddling into his shoulder, the sight making me want to coo before Damien all but vaulted into my lap. The momentum sent me sliding back a bit, startling me for just a minute until I gripped my wheels.

Maximus sent him a chiding glance, "Damien…"

The boy winced before apologizing under his breath. Patting his head, I chuckled. "Just try to remember next time."

Leila chose that moment to step forward, "I don't think we've formally introduced these two yet. The one currently trying to disappear into Zelda's lap is Damien and Mira's the one trying to meld with Vlad's shoulder."

Damien pulled back to wave, but Mira only glanced at them before burrowing back against Vlad. Considering she'd already dealt with more touch than she'd wanted to today I couldn't say I blamed her.

Vlad murmured something I couldn't hear but whatever it was it made her separate long enough to speak. "Hi…"

A slow smile curled Mencheres lips but he made no move to come closer. "Hello, hopefully I will get to know you more in the future. I never expected your new father to take up the role again, but I am glad that you found him. Nothing will hurt you with him and Leila near."

Mira pulled a bit more out of Vlad's shoulder at that, "Yes…Thank you, for the spell."

A blink was the only sign of surprise Mencheres showed before he nodded. "You're welcome. Now then." He turned to Vlad, "Our usual guest room I take it?"

At Vlad's nod, he left with Kira right behind him though she did pause to wave at the kids.

"They seem nice." Mari's voice made me jump, but I nodded.

"They do, but I think you could use a nap." She looked like she needed one. Her eyes were drooping from exhaustion. But instead of denying it as most kids do, she nodded.

Leaning her head back against Vlad's shoulder, she hummed. "Nap sounds good."

_I hope you're ready because she'd already looking to be a daddy's girl._

Vlad shot me a look I wasn't sure how to decipher before grunting. "That's all well and good, but don't fall asleep on me. There's a perfectly good bed that is waiting for you."

A beat of silence followed as Mira's head tilted curiously but before she could ask, Vlad answered her question. "No, not the one in the room with the other children. Leila's old room will be turned into yours and Maximus offered his room for Damien's."

At that I turned to Maximus with confusion, but he merely shook his head with the motion for later.

Nodding, I refocused on Vlad as Mira relaxed against him. The sight was too cute and I only wished I had a camera. Leila must have felt the same because before I could blink she'd whipped out her phone and caught a snap. Vlad shot her an exasperated look but she only shrugged. "What? You don't expect me not to take pictures do you?"

He gave a sigh, "Only to your phone and my own. Nowhere else."

She nodded, grinning at the victory. "Of course, not like I have anyone else to send them too. Though I might show Mencheres whenever he's here."

Vlad sent her a baleful glower but said. "Of course you will..."

She sidled up to him, lightly nudging against his side. "Come on Vlad, he sees you as a son. He's going to want to see them too." At that Vlad eased up a bit, though he still grumbled.

"I didn't say you couldn't…"

They continued the argument as they walked out, Damien watching them with amusement before turning to address Maximus. "I'm staying here now?"

Shifting my focus to the taller blond, I waited for the answer.

I wasn't disappointed.

Maximus moved to stand by me, the briefest flash of discomfort painting his expression before solidifying into his poker face. "I was going to ask if you'd like to simply move into one room together, if you'd prefer we didn't then I can take one of the rooms farther down the hall since Damien will need to be around you more-."

I cut him off, tugging on his pants until he bent to my level. Pulling him into a kiss, I stroked his stubble and shook my head. "That won't be necessary, I definitely don't mind sharing a room with you. It'll make things a good bit easier actually."

Maximus relaxed, nodding as Damien began speeding around in excitement. "This is all mine? Really?"

At Maximus' nod, he whooped. "This is awesome!"

Leaning against Maximus, I sighed in content. I definitely hadn't seen this coming but as I watched Damien catapult into Maximus' middle I knew it was better than anything I could've thought up.


End file.
